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One of the most common guides we're asked to write is: "How to get rid of wrinkles." No matter your ethnicity, gender, or skin type, if you’re lucky, you’ll get wrinkles. And yes, we mean lucky: Let’s not forget that aging is a privilege. Those small creases along our foreheads and at the corners of our eyes are a natural part of the human experience and they can surface as early as your mid-20s.
So whether you’re looking to get a head start on prevention or need a more serious routine for smoothing existing wrinkles, we have answers. During the fourth episode of our new podcast, The Science of Beauty, Michelle Lee, editor in chief, and Jenny Bailly, executive beauty director, do a deep dive into what causes wrinkles and some major scientific breakthroughs for treating them.
What are wrinkles?
Wrinkles are the lines and creases that form in your skin due to a variety of factors, age (and the years of sun exposure that comes with it) being the most obvious. As you get older, your skin becomes less elastic and more fragile. Decreased production of natural oils dries out your skin and makes it appear more wrinkled. Fat in your face also begins to diminish, causing loose, saggy skin and more noticeable lines.
Wrinkles are grouped into two different categories: dynamic and static. Dynamic wrinkles appear when you make repetitive facial movements, like smiling or squinting. These often fade right after your facial expression changes. “I always compare [dynamic wrinkles] to a sheet of paper,” explains Melissa Levin, a New York City-based dermatologist. “If I keep on folding the paper over and over, the fold is going to get deeper and deeper, and the crease will develop.” Static wrinkles, on the other hand, remain on your face at all times, regardless of muscle movements. They develop and worsen due to external factors (more on that next!). As you age, dynamic wrinkles become static wrinkles, leaving you with lasting expression lines.
What causes wrinkles?
Too much sun exposure, years of smoking, and the number of birthdays behind you are the most common reasons for wrinkles. These factors contribute to the epidermal thinning, loss of elasticity, and skin fragility that cause the skin to crease.
While you can’t control the passage of time, you do have control over your UV exposure and smoking habits. Without sunscreen, exposure to UV light from the sun breaks down the connective tissue (collagen and elastin fibers) that lie in the deeper layers of skin. This breakdown causes the skin to sag and wrinkle prematurely. Also, studies have found that the risk of moderate to severe wrinkles in lifelong smokers was more than twice that in smokers who had been smoking for a shorter period of time.
The bottom line: Don’t smoke. And wear SPF every. Single. Day. These simple lifestyle changes will work wonders in preventing premature skin aging.
Where do wrinkles typically form?
While wrinkles can appear anywhere on your body, the most common areas are on the face, where you have 42 individual muscles and — lest we forget — can easily fall prey to sun exposure.
Crow’s-feet
A study found that 84 percent of women notice crow’s feet around their eyes as the first signs of aging. The reason: The skin around the eyes is the thinnest on the body. There isn’t as much collagen and elastin in the area to begin with, so once you start acquiring sun damage, it’s one of the first places on the face to wrinkle.
However, crow’s-feet aren’t all bad. More than any other wrinkle, crow’s-feet around the eyes are expressive, making them an important feature. During our episode, Jenny points out that crow’s-feet are especially important now, during the pandemic, since we’re all wearing masks that cover the lower half of our face. No one can see us smile or frown, so our eyes are the only means of facially conveying our emotions.
Plus, crow’s-feet are the expression lines associated with joy, whereas other lines, like those between the brows, are associated with frowning. And probably because people react positively to someone who looks happy, studies of yearbook pictures, politicians' headshots, and dating profile photos show that deep crow's-feet are good predictors of lower divorce rates, election victories, and how wealthy people think you are, respectively. “Some wrinkles highlight sincerity,” says Levin. “And I think crow's-feet… [show] genuine expression.”
The “Elevens” AKA, Glabellar Lines
The “elevens” are the two vertical lines that form between your eyebrows. They look exactly like the number and are generally caused by repeatedly furrowing the brows, making these a prime example of dynamic wrinkles.
Laugh Lines
They may be called laugh lines, but you’re not likely to get pronounced nasolabial folds — the creases that extend from the nose to the outer corners of the mouth — from muscle movement alone. They’re generally caused by sagging of the skin and a loss of subcutaneous fat as you age.
Forehead Lines
Forehead wrinkles are the horizontal lines across your forehead, often caused by raising your eyebrows repeatedly. Some people have more or deeper-set forehead lines than others due to a combination of genetics and lifestyle choices like forgoing sunscreen.
How to Get Rid of Wrinkles with… At-Home Products
Good news: The appearance of wrinkles can be improved over time. While more severe wrinkles typically can’t be entirely reversed, their appearance can be diminished — if you’re using these powerful products, that is.
Retinoids
Retinoids, the gold standard for wrinkle reduction, are vitamin A derivatives that stimulate cell turnover and boost collagen production, thereby reducing the appearance of wrinkles. Retinoids is the umbrella term for all such derivatives including retinol, which you can find in over-the-counter products, and Retin-A, available by prescription.
In addition to wrinkle-reducing capabilities, retinoids can soften skin, even out texture, and fade dark spots. But with great potency comes the risk of irritation. To avoid any redness and flaking (signs that the active form of retinol, a compound called retinoic acid, is working to make more collagen), start using a retinoid twice a week and follow it immediately with moisturizer. After a few weeks, step up your usage to three times a week.
And since retinoids can make you more sensitive to UV rays, experts recommend using it only at night, when you’re not exposed to the sun. If you do use it in the morning, make sure to be extra vigilant when reapplying sunscreen. Since you’re already wearing it anyway… right?
Antioxidants
Antioxidants — vitamin C, niacinamide, or resveratrol — work to neutralize free radicals, which cause damage to our skin cells and therefore cause wrinkles, and boost collagen production. To get the most protection, cleanse the skin, apply an antioxidant-packed serum immediately, and then wait five minutes before putting on sunscreen. This will prevent you from diluting the formula.
As we’ve already stressed (both above and for more than 30 minutes straight on episode one!), UV rays are one of the biggest causes of premature wrinkles, so sunscreen is the ultimate secret to maintaining a youthful complexion. Protecting your skin from UV rays will help prevent the formation of new wrinkles as well as slow the worsening of existing ones on your face. Wear it daily. No excuses.
Alpha Hydroxy Acids
Alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs), which include glycolic, citric, and lactic acid, increase cell turnover, and kickstart the production of collagen, which reduces the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines over time. AHAs can be found in lower concentrations in over-the-counter cleansers and at-home peels, or in higher concentrations in the form of chemical peels administered by a dermatologist. Glycolic acid has the smallest molecules of all the AHAs, so it can easily penetrate the skin. But because it’s able to penetrate so well, there's a higher likelihood of irritation and those with sensitive skin might want to opt for milder lactic or citric acid instead.
How to Get Rid of Wrinkles with… In-Office Treatments
There’s a lot of curiosity — and let’s face it, misinformation — about the best in-office treatments for reducing wrinkles. These tried-and-true methods are among the most popular but consult a dermatologist to determine what’s best for you.
Neurotoxins
The idea of an injection might give you pause, but this highly diluted form of botulinum toxin really works and is considered safe when performed correctly. Neurotoxins like Botox, Xeomin, and Jeuveau temporarily stop the muscle contractions responsible for dynamic wrinkles. “It relaxes the muscles underneath the skin, so it stops the skin folding into those lines and wrinkles,” explains Jean Carruthers, an ocular plastic surgeon in Vancouver, Canada, who pioneered the cosmetic use of botulinum toxin. (Listen to our full episode for her incredible story.)
Neurotoxins are FDA-approved to be used in the forehead, along crow’s-feet, and in the “elevens,” although they’re also safely used “off-label” to smooth lines in other areas of the body, like the neck and around the mouth. It takes three to seven days to see the full effect and lasts up to four months in the forehead and about three months in crow’s-feet.
But wrinkle reduction isn’t the only benefit of Botox and other neurotoxins. “It also has an effect on the oil glands in the skin,” confirms Carruthers. “You'll often notice that people who have been treated with a neuromodulator have beautiful texture, smoother texture, and more reflectivity to their skin.”
It’s important to note that there are some risks to using neurotoxins. There’s a chance the toxin could drift into the muscle that raises and lowers the upper eyelid and cause it to droop for several weeks or a few months. (It will return to normal once the effects wear off.) And there is usually some soreness or swelling at the injection site for up to a day, and occasional bruising and headaches. (See also 14 Products That Are the Closest Thing to Botox in a Bottle.)
Fillers
A filler is any soft and gel-like substance that can be injected into the skin or underneath to help plump it up. Fillers are often used to smooth deep undereye circles, lift cheekbones, volumize lips, and even-out nasolabial folds. Permanent fillers, like silicone, and semipermanent ones (which can last up to five years) are no longer commonly used. Instead, hyaluronic acid fillers deliver results that last up to two years, are reversible, and are favored by many doctors.
“Filler doesn't last forever. It will naturally break down in your body,” says Levin, adding that the enzyme our body uses to break down filler is also available in an injectable form. This hyaluronidase injection allows providers to dissolve hyaluronic acid filler if a patient is unhappy with their results. “[Hyaluronidase] turns [filler] into water within 24 to 48 hours,” Levin confirms.
Like neurotoxins, fillers come with a few risks. The most common side effect is swelling for a day or two. It’s also possible to experience an allergic reaction, bleeding, bruising, or infection at the injection site. Sometimes, irregularities in the surface, contours, and firmness of the skin, or damage to the blood vessels can happen as well. Although these more serious side effects are rare, it’s a reminder to go to an experienced injector, a board-certified dermatologist, or a plastic surgeon, for the best results.
Lasers
Non-ablative resurfacing lasers are lasers that heat deeper layers of the dermis without damaging the skin's surface and improve multiple signs of aging at once by using targeted heat to trigger a healing response. This response stimulates collagen production, which helps firm the skin over time. Not only do lasers lead to a reduction in lines, they also improve the appearance of pores, dark spots, texture, and overall skin tone. The only downside: Certain lasers — specifically the more aggressive ones like the Fraxel Dual — leave you with several days of downtime (during which you could be dealing with lasting redness and flaking). With milder lasers, like Clear + Brilliant, skin is generally left looking slightly rosey post-procedure, but not so much that you couldn’t go straight back to work.
Ultherapy and Thermage
If you’re looking for more of a tightening effect without needles or lasers, Thermage or Ultherapy might be for you. Ultherapy is a noninvasive skin-tightening procedure that uses focused ultrasound energy to lift skin by gently heating the tissue and stimulating the body’s collagen-building process. Thermage is another nonsurgical treatment available to tighten the skin, but it uses radiofrequency energy instead of ultrasound energy to heat the tissue and stimulate collagen production. Both treatments can result in a reduction in the appearance of wrinkles — usually months later — though many pros say the degree of success is variable.
Thread Lift
Thread lifts create a more dramatic lift than entirely noninvasive options, without undergoing a full facelift. Here’s how it works: A doctor punctures holes in the cheeks and forehead, then inserts up to 18 plastic threads through the skin, tightening them to lift the skin upward. The procedure, which can also be done on the brow or upper eyelid, is performed under local anesthesia and usually has a short recovery period.
While many people see a significant improvement in their appearance post-procedure, there are some risks associated with a thread lift. Some patients report threads that poke through the skin, cause infection, or detach internally. The threads can become infected or scar tissue can form around the thread that would make a future facelift a problem.
Facelift
Fillers, neurotoxins, and lasers can work wonders turning back the clock, but they can only take us so far — and that’s where the facelift comes in. The main goal of a facelift is to fix laxity in the lower face and neck. When the skin slackens and its underlying fat and muscle begins to degrade, droopy cheeks and a diminished jawline are the result. A facelift can correct these signs of aging, as well as subtly reduce the appearance of nasolabial folds.
And there’s quite a bit of downtime — around two weeks, minimum. Also, while a facelift will improve droopiness, they won’t get rid of wrinkles completely because facelifts don’t specifically address surface imperfections.
Our Hosts’ Favorite Wrinkle-Reducing Products
Michelle’s Current Favorites
For plumping, Michelle loves SK-II Facial Treatment Essence. “It’s a great first step after cleansing,” she says. Michelle also uses an eye serum as opposed to an eye cream, because she’s found that some heavier formulas make her makeup run during the day. M-61 Hydraboost Eye Serum is among her favorites. She’s also started using Augustinus Bader The Cream, which contains vitamin A, antioxidants, and amino acids.
Jenny’s Current Favorites
“I use a retinoid almost every night,” she says. “I’ve used prescription retinoids in the past, [but] right now I’m using an over-the-counter retinol.” Jenny has been alternating between Shani Darden Retinol Reform and Sobel SkinRx 4.5% Retinol Night Treatment. The latter, she says, is particularly powerful, so she makes sure to hydrate her skin accordingly.
The Bottom Line
It’s a privilege to have wrinkles: If your face was totally lineless, you couldn’t fully convey emotions — a very important part of being a human being! But if you want to reduce the appearance of creases, we’re with you, and there’s an abundance of at-home products and in-office treatments that will do the trick.
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