Why Your Skin Wrinkles


Why does your skin wrinkle, and why does one person's skin wrinkle more or less than another's?

It all comes down to two distinct reasons:

1 ) Nature (heredity)

2 ) Nurture (lifestyle)



Nature (heredity)

You were born with the body that our Creator designed for you. At birth, you had nothing to do with your body's skin (as well as your height, body type, eye color, birthday, birth–year, etc). Learn to accept how God made you; you were born exactly the way God wanted you!


However, most people have not treated what God has given them with the greatest of care. Their skin reveals the harmful effects of bad habits practiced over years of unhealthy living. A small portion of these people (mainly women, but some men), want to stop the aging process, and reverse it. They want to recapture that youthful look and feeling.


Well, you can with today's technologies. You can improve your outward appearance, your skin's complexion, your skin's mechanical properties, and anything else associated with recapturing youth. This website is just not one big commercial for our product, but actual information you can use to set your course on a "new you."


After you have read this entire article, read the options available to you to recapture that youthful appearance at Topical Treatments for Wrinkles and Cosmetic Procedures for Wrinkles. And remember, if you go on a diet, don't lose weight too fast or you'll just make more wrinkles!!


But first, let's get some information for you about your skin. As you age, your skin undergoes normal aging changes:
The cells divide more slowly and the inner layer of skin (the dermis) starts to thin. Fat cells beneath the dermis begin to shrink. In addition, the ability of the skin to repair itself decreases with age, so wounds heal more slowly. The thinning skin becomes vulnerable to injuries and damage.


The deeper layer of the skin, which provides scaffolding for the surface skin layers, loosens and unravels. Skin then loses its elasticity (ability to stretch). When pressed, it no longer springs back into position. Instead, older skin sags and forms furrows.


The oil–secreting glands atrophy (shrink), leaving the skin without a protective layer of fat. The skin's ability to stay moisturized then decreases, and it becomes dry and scaly.


Frown lines (between the eyebrows) and crow's feet (lines that spread from the corners of the eyes) appear to develop because of permanent small muscle contractions. Habitual facial expressions also form characteristic lines.


Gravity makes the situation worse, contributing to the formation of jowls and drooping eyelids. Eyebrows, surprisingly, move up as a person ages, pulled up by forehead wrinkles.


Wrinkles can have a profound impact on self–esteem. The stigma attached to looking old is evidenced by the more than $50 billion Americans spend each year on topical treatments and cosmetic procedures to hide the signs of aging.


Our society places a premium on youthfulness, and age discrimination in the workplace, although illegal, has stalled many people's careers. The emotional consequences of aging explain in large part why the cosmetics industry and plastic surgeons thrive.


The lightness / darkness of your skin will determine the amount of sun / tanning bed you can withstand before you begin to suffer from photoaging (remember, a suntan is a symptom of sunlight overexposure, and the skin darkens to protect itself from further damage).


Do you know your skin type? You can find the answer at Determine Your Skin Type.



Nurture (lifestyle)

The sun is the greatest cause of prematurely aging skin (a process called photoaging) and skin cancers. Overall, exposure to ultraviolet–radiation from sunlight (UV–A radiation and UV–B radiation) accounts for about 90% of the symptoms of premature skin aging. Most of these effects occur by age 20:


Even small amounts of UV–radiation trigger the processes leading to skin wrinkles.


Long–term repetitive exposure to sunlight adds up, and is responsible for the vast majority of unwanted consequences of aging skin, including basal cell and squamous cell cancers.


Intense exposure to sunlight in early life is the major cause of melanoma, a particularly aggressive type of skin cancer.


Ultraviolet–radiation penetrates the layers of the skin. Both UV–A and UV–B rays cause damage that leads to wrinkles, lower immunity against infection, aging skin disorders, and cancer. Each of these rays damage cells in different ways.


UV–A radiation penetrates more deeply and efficiently. The intensity of UV–A rays is less dependent on the time of day and season of the year than that of UV–B rays. For example, you receive only about half of your yearly UV–A dose during the summer months, with the balance spread over the rest of the year. Window glass DOES NOT stop the penetration of UV–A rays.


UV–B radiation is the main cause of sunburns, and it primarily affects the outer skin layers. UV–B is most intense at midday when sunlight is brightest. People receive 70% of their yearly UV–B dose during the summer. They receive only 30% during the remainder of the year. Window glass DOES stop the penetration of UV–B rays.


Both UV–A and UV–B rays cause damage to the body, including genetic injury, wrinkles, aging skin disorders, and skin cancers.


Processes Leading to Wrinkles

Even small amounts of UV–radiation trigger the processes that can cause wrinkles:

Sunlight damages collagen fibers (the major protein that gives structure to the skin). Sunlight also damages elastin, a protein in the skin that normally maintains the springiness and strength of tissue beneath the skin.


In response to this sun–induced elastin damage, the body produces large amounts of enzymes called metalloproteinases. For Skin Types I – II, exposure to sunlight for only a few minutes may raise the metalloproteinase levels in the body, and these levels may remain high for a week.


The normal function of these metalloproteinases is generally positive –– to remodel the sun–injured tissue by producing and repairing collagen. This is an imperfect process, however, and some of the metalloproteinases produced by sunlight actually degrade (break down) collagen. The result is an uneven formation (matrix) of disorganized collagen fibers called solar scars. Repetition of this imperfect skin rebuilding causes wrinkles.


An important event in this process is the over–production of oxidants, also called free radicals. These are unstable molecules that are normally produced by chemical processes in the body –– a process called oxidation. Environmental damage causes an overproduction of oxidants. Excessive amounts of oxidants damage the body's cells and even alter their genetic material. Oxidation may contribute to wrinkling by activating the specific metalloproteinases that degrade connective tissue.


Other Factors Responsible for Wrinkles

In addition to sunlight, other factors may hasten the formation of wrinkles:


Cigarette Smoke. Smoking produces oxygen–free radicals, which accelerate wrinkles and aging skin disorders, and increases the risk for non–melanoma skin cancers. Studies show that smoking and subsequent oxidation produce higher levels of metalloproteinases, the enzymes associated with wrinkles.


Air Pollution. Ozone, a common air pollutant, may be a particular problem for the skin. One study reported that it might deplete the amount of Vitamin E in the skin. This vitamin is an important antioxidant. If you take Vitamin E supplements, make sure it is Gamma Vitamin E, and NOT Alpha Vitamin E!


If you take a Vitamin E supplement, make sure it is Gamma Vitamin E, and NOT Alpha Vitamin E!– – read the labels! Research has shown that Gamma Vitamin E is the type of Vitamin E your body needs for health; whereas Alpha Vitamin E greater than 150 IU per day actually shortens your lifespan www.webmd.com/Vitamin–E–Shortens–Life–Span and www.medicmagic.net/Vitamin–E.


Rapid Weight Loss. If weight loss occurs too rapidly, the volume of fat cells that cushion the face also decrease before chemicals in the skin can react. This not only makes a person look gaunt, but it can cause their skin to sag.


How to Improve Your Skin's Health

IF you do not like your skin color and/or complexion, there are many things you can do to improve its appearance. Visit: Topical Treatments for Wrinkles and Cosmetic Procedures for Wrinkles. Skin can be youthful, even at an advanced age (Christie Brinkley was born in February 1954).


IF you want to improve your skin, read the articles cited in the above paragraph to discover your options. These articles can help you change your skin to be more like the skin you want. Subtle changes can be achieved via topical treatments, whereas major changes can only be achieved via cosmetic procedures.


And be sure to use a premium, all natural moisturizing lotion every day!