As our bodies mature with age, our skin will start to show wear and tear. You may take a look in the mirror and notice a few more fine lines around your eyes and mouth. Perhaps your “laugh lines” (nasolabial folds) are becoming more prominent. If this is the case, and you want to help combat signs of aging as much as possible, try some of these helpful tips below. The best part is, you don’t even have to be awake for them to work!
The roles of collagen and elastin are to maintain elasticity and firmness, so they help the skin retain a youthful appearance. As we get older, our bodies create less collagen and elastin and this results in the skin starting to sag. While most of us refer to this simply as aging, it’s also known as dermal atrophy.
Nasolabial folds are naturally occurring creases that extend down from the side of your nose to the corners of your mouth. Their appearance can be due to sagging skin, and loss of volume within the skin itself. As our bodies mature, they can become more prominent, and turn into deeper wrinkles. These lines are not harmful but can be a deterrent to one’s self-esteem.
They’re not completely avoidable, however, here are some simple steps to help minimize their appearance:
Sleep On Your Back
This may seem like a silly idea. However, if you are always sleeping on one side of your body, this causes uneven pressure throughout the night that can contribute to more wrinkles. If you are not able to sleep on your back due to other health concerns, have no fear – there are more suggestions below to try!
Ensure Proper Rest
If you aren’t sleeping well, fatigue and the lack of rest will not only wreak havoc on your health, but also your appearance. Sleep deprivation can lead to skin wrinkling, increase breakouts and redness, and leave you with a dehydrated complexion. You can easily spot someone that is sleep deprived by the bags under their eyes, so make sure you get your Z’s!
Use A Good Pillow
A good pillow is essential for proper rest. If you are a side, or stomach sleeper, a good pillow can help reduce wrinkles around the face, neck and chest. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends the average adult aged 18-60 should be getting 7-9 hours of sleep per night. That’s an average of 49 hours of sleep a week, and 196 hours per month.
Lifestyle Changes
Another way to help reduce your wrinkles is by increasing hyaluronic acid intake. Hyaluronic acid is a naturally occurring chemical that is typically found in the eyes, joints, and skin. Increasing your hyaluronic acid levels will help to keep your skin taut and more youthful looking.
You can quickly increase these levels by consuming foods that have high hyaluronic acid content, such as bone broth, oranges, kale, and sweet potatoes, just to name a few.
Wear Sunscreen
Sunscreen could be considered the first line of defense in fighting aging. It’s a lifelong commitment and should be applied daily for the best results. It should even be applied on cold, cloudy, rainy days.
When skin is exposed to ultraviolet light from the sun and/or tanning beds, the damage it causes is known as photoaging. Because photoaging happens in the deepest layers of the skin—the dermis—it can take years before the damage surfaces and becomes visible.
Quit Smoking
This is another important aspect of fighting aging. Smoking is known to reduce essential nutrients our bodies need, which in turn, speeds up the aging process prematurely. It’s notorious for changing our skin, teeth, and hair, which can add years to your looks.
Retinol Moisturizers
Aside from sunscreen, retinol may be your next best move in terms of accelerating the reversal of your fine lines and wrinkles. It’s also important to make sure that your retinol has a moisturizer in it to prevent dryness. It might also be a good idea to use retinol which has other vitamins and minerals in it to help stimulate collagen production.
Stay Hydrated
Hydration may not be the first thing that comes to mind when we think of anti-aging solutions. However, since our bodies are largely made up of water, it makes sense that it needs constant replenishing.
Our skin is the largest organ in our body and probably takes the most damage on a consistent basis. A simple increase in your water intake can help fight aging on a large front.
Some doctors even go as far as to suggest that water is the ultimate anti-aging tool out there!
Smile
Although nasolabial folds are often referred to as laugh lines, laughing isn’t what causes them. In fact, when we smile, our brains have a ‘good-time’ party. Smiling activates the release of neuropeptides, as well as dopamine, endorphins, and serotonin, which help fight stress and depression. This can help lower your heart rate and reduce your blood pressure. Smiling also has the ability to lower cortisol levels, which not only fights stress but also improves your mood.
Nasolabial folds are unfortunately a part of everyday life, and our biggest asset to help combat them is knowledge. Incorporating some, or all of these suggestions will help support healthier-looking skin while diminishing fine lines and wrinkles.