Why Wrinkles Form

Ageing is the most obvious cause of wrinkles. As we get older, our cells take longer to regenerate and our dermis (the inner skin) starts to thin. With age, we also produce less collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid, natural substances that give our skin the structure, stretch, volume and bounce it needs to remain youthful. But that's not all. The skin's ability to hold moisture diminishes. What happens then is that the skin becomes dry and scaly, loses its elasticity, sags and forms furrows and wrinkles.

How Wrinkles Form

Persistent small muscle contractions, which happen when our faces form expressions, cause wrinkles and expression lines to form. Of course, the older we get, the more deeply ingrained in our skin these lines are. But did you know that prolonged exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun (photoageing) is a big cause of premature ageing? Cigarette smoke and pollution also hasten the ageing process by producing free radicals which attack the skin. Rapid weight loss is also a cause of wrinkles as the volume of fat cells that cushion the face is drastically reduced. This causes the skin to sag.