Everyone knows that a poor diet, smoking, and spending too much time in the sun accelerate the ageing process, but did you know that your facial expressions could also be playing a part?
A medical aesthetician has revealed that common expressions we make throughout the day – from frowning when we're stressed to squinting in bright light – can give us permanent wrinkles.
Longevita's Dr Gizem Seymenoglu warned that repeated muscle movements in our faces take a toll over time, particularly in our foreheads.
According to the expert, five expressions most of us make daily could "add years to your face".
Frowning: the worry crease
Confused, stressed, or just having a bad day? You're likely frowning your way to fine lines and wrinkles.
According to Dr Gizem, frowning is responsible for those parallel vertical lines between your eyebrows, often called "frown lines" or "forehead 11s".
She warned that frequent frowning causes the skin to crease repeatedly, eventually leaving "deep" marks.
"Of course, the effects of factors like ageing, stress, sun exposure, smoking, and alcohol cannot be discounted, but frowning definitely accentuates these lines. It is even possible to see them when your face is relaxed after a certain period of time," said Dr Gizem.
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Squinting can lead to unfortunate lines around the eyes over time
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Nose scrunching: the bunny crinkle
Next is the face we all pull when something disgusts us or gets under our skin: the nose scrunch.
Dr Gizem remarked: "Have you ever seen the nose of a twitching bunny? That's exactly where bunny lines get their name from.
"While several muscles play a role, the key player here is the nasalis muscle, which is what you use to flare your nostrils."
Natural skin ageing certainly contributes to bunny lines, but so does the repeated movement of the muscles in that area.
"The result is the appearance of horizontal and diagonal wrinkles that appear right on the bridge of the nose," the expert concluded.
There is no expression more universal than smiling, but it also comes with its own imprint
| GETTYSquinting: the crow's talons
It's hard to avoid squinting when you're facing bright lights, struggling with your vision, or smiling, but this can lead to unfortunate lines around the eyes over time.
Dr Gizem explained: "Squinting gives you crow's feet, a weird-sounding word, but it's because these lines resemble the talons of a crow.
"Basically, they are diagonal and horizontal wrinkles, also known as lateral canthal lines, that fan out from the corners of the eyes."
Orbicularis oculi, the round-shaped muscle encircling the eyes, is the one responsible for it. Though it helps protect the eyes by closing the eyelids, their repeated contraction can "eventually cause wrinkles to form in that area", the medical aesthetician warned.
Pouting: the sulk or kiss folds
Lips naturally take on a pout when you're sulking, kissing, sipping, or whistling, which, according to Dr Gizem, comes with the risk of perioral wrinkles.
"The pouting or puckering of the lips is helped by the orbicularis oris muscle encircling the mouth. This is also the muscle that's involved in kissing, which is why, unsurprisingly, it's also called the kissing muscle.
"But, unfortunately, its constant contraction also contributes to forming vertical lip lines or lipstick lines."
These wrinkles are also referred to as "smoker's lines", and although they might appear worse in smokers as a result of collagen breakdown, bear in mind that even non-smokers can develop them.
Smiling: the trace of joy
There is no expression more universal than smiling, but it also comes with its own imprint in the form of laugh lines or smile lines.
The medical aesthetician cautioned that repetitive muscle contraction from grinning can deepen creases extending from your nose all the way to your mouth (the nasolabial folds).
However, Dr Gizem also noted that while muscle hyperactivity plays a role in their development, such creases are more the result of facial fat loss, as well as collagen and elastin breakdown.
The expert further explained that as fat pads in the area separate and get displaced due to gravity, and the loss of skin elasticity causes sagging, these folds start to become "prominent".
How can I tackle fine lines and wrinkles?
It's impossible to stop making facial expressions, so other strategies are required if you wish to eliminate signs of ageing.
Fine lines and wrinkles are among the most common signs of ageing and are essentially inevitable as our bodies produce less collagen over time.
And as Dr Gizem previously noted, stress, sun exposure, smoking, and alcohol can also play their part.
However, to effectively reduce them, Botox is considered "an excellent treatment option for dynamic wrinkles".
She pointed out that Botox works by preventing muscle contractions, making it effective for treating frown lines, crow's feet, bunny lines, and lip wrinkles. For volume loss issues like smile lines, dermal fillers might help instead.
Many women go down the cosmetic treatment route – which is fine as long as you do your research and enlist a trained professional – but there are also things you can do at home to reduce these pesky creases.
Experts at the aesthetics clinic, Exclusive Aesthetics & Wellbeing, shared their top "natural remedies" for reducing wrinkles.
How to reduce wrinkles naturally
- Protect the skin from sun damage
- Apply natural aloe vera gel
- Quit smoking
- Get more sleep
- Go for a facial massage
- Eat an antioxidant-rich diet
- Drink lots of water
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