Ageing is the gradual process that takes place on a biological level when our body goes through several changes. A few of the most significant changes are experienced on the skin. Our skin is made up of several layers and while that remains unchanged then the number of cells decreases drastically over time making our skin look thinner, paler and more prone to wear and tear. Fine lines and wrinkles are an inevitable part of this ageing process, so you must understand them to ensure you stay young forever!

What is Ageing ?

Ageing is a process that reduces the elasticity, moisture content and strength of the skin and can lead to dryness, dullness and sensitivity as the skin becomes more delicate overtime. The skin has a much slower rate of recovery and faces an increased risk of injury. Prolonging ageing is a lifelong process and it is important to address the problem even before it starts, however if you have already begun your journey facing it now is better late than never.

What are the different signs of ageing?

So, how do you identify ageing skin? These are the different signs of ageing you must look out for:

1. Sunspots

Darker areas or brown spots found on the skin are formed when exposed to the harmful UV rays of the sun that speed up the melanin production.

2. Sagging

Prolonged exposure to the ultraviolet rays of the sun can breakdown the fibres called elastin that make the skin lose its ability to stretch and snap back into place immediately. This causes sagging. 

3. Hyperpigmentation

An increase in melanin production can make certain patches of the skin become darker and caused by similar reasons to sunspots. Check out our article to know all about hyperpigmentation, what causes it and how you can treat it. 

4. Dryness

The decreased natural production of oil and slower cell regeneration gives the skin a rough, uneven texture due to dryness.  

5. Sensitivity

As the skin begins to thin and the connectivity between tissues weakens the rate of recovery reduces making it prone to injury and highly sensitive. The main difference between sensitive skin and sensitised skin is that you are born with sensitive skin that is more prone to wear and tear, it is identified as the nature of your skin. On the other hand, sensitised skin can be easily restored by repairing the natural barrier and reducing the influence of harmful external factors. Read more here. 

6. Fine lines and Wrinkles

The loss of elasticity, decreased sebum along with lower fat layers found under the skin are the key causes for visibility of fine lines and wrinkles. Check out: Our foolproof favourites to battle ageing: 10 Ingredients you absolutely need!

What is the Main Difference between fine lines and wrinkles?

 

The main difference between wrinkles and fine lines can be identified by answering these simple questions:  

1. What are they?  

Fine Lines: Tiny, shallow lines that begin to appear on the surface of your skin mainly near your eye area or laugh line.

Wrinkles: Deeper folds that appear on the skin due to loss of elasticity or thinning of skin. They crease the skin and occur when the skin produces lesser collagen. They are more prominent and mature looking and more difficult to reduce.

2. At what stage do you experience them?

Fine Lines: You begin to notice them at the very beginning of the process and they are the first signs of ageing. You may find them in your mid 20s and early 30s.

Wrinkles: As you age, fine lines begin to deepen and form wrinkles. Therefore, it can be experienced as early as your mid 30s.

3. What are their root causes?

The causes for both can be linked to internal factors such as genetics and external factors like environmental stress. Although fine lines may eventually lead to wrinkles, the initial cause for both may differ:

Fine Lines: They are created when you repeatedly perform the same muscular movements in your face and are still at a nascent sage. Smoking, lack of sleep and other bad habits may lead to its development.

Wrinkles: Prolonged exposure to harmful UV rays, reduced level of natural oils due to ageing, lower Collagen, oxidative stress in the environment, pollution and other factors that make the skin dull and dehydrated set the tone for wrinkle formation.

What do the Fine Lines and Wrinkles on your Face Indicate?

 

Our skin is the greatest communicator! It will indicate exactly how it feels, but in order to understand its language, you must decode your face map to know exactly what your skin is trying to communicate. Simply mapping out the different types of wrinkles and fine lines found in various areas can help you understand why they are caused:

Broad categories of wrinkles depending on how they are formed:

1. Gravitational Folds

Sagging is a natural process of ageing when the skin loses elasticity and the ability to quickly snap back. Overtime gravity has a profound effect of pulling the skin downwards and deleting the tissues that are unable to correct itself back into place. It is common to see these in your 50s near the upper eyelids, eyebrows and jawline.

2. Expression lines

Dynamic expression lines formed temporality by making a facial. For instance, when you smile or frown. On the other hand, Static winkles are expression lines that are permanently visible even while your face is in resting position. These are commonly found near the corners of your mouth, neck area and cheeks. There is a tendency of dynamic lines to turn static when repetitive facial expressions are performed over time.

3. Elastotic Wrinkles

When the skin faces prolonged exposure to the sun’s harmful rays, smoking, air pollution and other oxidative stressors - small folds can form along the upper lip, cheeks and neck. Though they start off small, they can become permanent as we age. The best way to prevent this is by applying sunscreen and avoiding smoking.

4. Compression Lines

Also known as Sleep wrinkles are formed when the skin is distorted due to exterior pressure or compression. It is experienced when you sleep and apply pressure by squishing your face into the pillow. The best way to prevent this is by sleeping on your back.

5. Atrophic Wrinkles

 Also called Glabella lines, are known to appear when you raise your brows. They run vertically parallel to each other between the brows forming a 11, mainly caused due to loss of tissues and sun exposure.

Specific types of fine lines and wrinkles that appear on different areas of our Face:

1. Forehead lines

Can also be referred to as Frown lines, run horizontally across our forehead and occur due to repetitive movement of your face and eyebrow muscles. The thinning of skin and sun damage too can contribute in deepening them.

2. Crow’s Feet

Wrinkles found in the outer corners of your eyes caused when you raise your cheekbones to smile or squint your eyes. Loss of elasticity and Collagen along with facial movements are the main cause of crow’s feet. It is practically impossible to stop blinking or smiling and hence the best way to prevent this is by securing the area against environmental stressors and providing plumpness by using collagen inducing ingredients such as Vitamin C, Hyaluronic Acid, Retinol, etc.

3. Laugh lines

Also called Nasolabial folds, appear on both sides of the mouth extending from the nose to the corner of your lips and are initially dynamic but begin to deepen with age. Everybody experiences these folds when they smile or laugh. However, some are more prominent than others. Putting on weight can help plump up the cheeks and enhance the appearance of laugh lines.

4. Worry Lines

These are the same as Atrophic wrinkles that form vertical lines between your eyebrows. They are generally the first signs of ageing that appear in your mid 20s.

5. Nose line

Wrinkles can be caused on the bridge of your nose or crinkle when laughing causing bunnies. Bunny lines are vertical lines that may run diagonally across the bridges. It gets its name from the cute face bunnies make when they scrunch up their nose similar to this facial expression.

6. Upper lip Line

These are the vertical lines that form around the perimeter of your lips and often cause. due to smoking. As we age our skin produces lesser collagen and oil which could contribute to these lines. The best way to test if you have these is by pouting and making a duck face, if you see tiny lines around your mouth that stay when you go back to your resting face, it means that you are developing these wrinkles.

7. Neck lines

Neck wrinkles are a normal part of the ageing process caused due to loss of elasticity, exposure to harmful rays, constantly looking down at the phone, smoking and many more. They may run horizontally causing segments or may make the skin sag.

What are some key tips and tricks to follow to reduce fine lines and wrinkles?

Preventing fine lines and ageing is a lifelong process and cannot take place overnight. Skincare, maintaining a healthy lifestyle and following a few tips and tricks can help you get youthful looking skin. So, read on to incorporate these easy tips into your routine:

1. Keep your skin and body hydrated

 Loss in moisture is the greatest contributor to the ageing process making the skin appear more wrinkled. Moisturising your skin can mask fine lines and creases. Water helps to boost the elasticity of the skin and prevent dullness as they plump up fine lines making them less noticeable.

2. Begin early 

Anti-ageing should begin as early as in your 20s, in the first half of your life to ensure that you have minimised the ageing process in your second half. You must protect your skin from the harmful UV rays, pollutants and other environmental stressors that can affect your skin. Anti-ageing is a long-term process and to see results begin early before you can even notice the first sign.

3. Apply SPF or Sunscreen

 Protect your skin from the sun as the UV rays prompt free radicals that can damage the elastin fibres or the skin. The sun can break down the protective barrier or the skin and accelerate the ageing process. We recommend Dr. Sheth’s Oat and Zinc Mineral Sunscreen with SPF 53 that protects against both UVA and UVB rays.

4. Choose an Age Specific Routine

 We go through different stages in our life and so does our skin. Choosing products specific to your age or skin type and the stage it is in can give optimum results. Each stage has its own demands and skin care should reflect these changing needs. For instance, those just starting off in their early 20s should use Vitamin C while those in their 30s should use Vitamin A and Vitamin B3 and those in their 40s should exfoliate regularly, use Peptide and Collagen induced products.

Find the perfect anti-ageing routine for all skin types here.

5. Use an Eye Cream

The area around the eye is extremely delicate and shows the first signs of aging due to the thin skin and lack of natural moisture due to absence of oil glands. Eye creams are a gentle way to target the concerns present in this area and we recommend Ilana Organics Lush Eyes (Cream and Mask) that boosts Collagen and unveils brighter youthful-looking eyes. This is enriched with Kiwi, Marula, Frankincense and Avocado. 

6. Use ingredients such as:

a) Hyaluronic acid

Acting as a humectant, this acid locks in water into the skin’s layer and brings moisture to the surface of your skin. It can rejuvenate the outer layers of skin and make it feel softer, smoother and reduce any texture. We recommend House of Beauty Hyaluronic Acid Serum to bring you glowing skin.

 Read more here. 

b) Collagen / Peptides

Ageing can reduce the natural collagen prediction. Adding these ingredients  can help improve the skin's elasticity and flexibility that can reduce wrinkles. It would accelerate the healing process of the skin and we therefore recommend Dear, Klairs Midnight Blue Youth Activating Drop that contains a dual Peptide formula to rewind time and improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

c) Niacinamide

Vitamin B3 helps to build skin cells and protect skin from environmental toxins. It retains water and increases keratin helping to smooth out skin's texture. Check out Dr. Sheth’s Centella and Niacinamide Serum with 10% Niacinamide to maintain the skin’s barrier.

 Read more here.

d) Retinol

Unlike other anti ageing ingredients that only aim at exfoliation, these Vitamin A derivatives fight wrinkles by boosting plumpness in the skin and mildly removing the top layer of dead cells that may lead to loss of water thereby maintaining hydration. Neemli Naturals Retinol and Peptide Serum is a lightweight cell renewal solution that increases enzymatic activity during the night the recovery process for smoother and younger looking skin.

Read more here.

e) Vitamin C

Though this ingredient cannot reverse the signs of ageing it is an essential they can help to reduce or prolong the ageing process by healing damaged skin and protecting the skin from harsh sun exposure, which may wrinkle the skin and stimulate the growth of collagen. Try Amayra Naturals Ziya Vitamin C Serum that brightens and tones sun damaged and dull skin with dark spots.

Read more here.

f) Exfoliate Regularly 

Ageing reduces our skin's natural exfoliating process by allowing dead skin cells to build up. If we incorporate exfoliation in our daily process it will help to increase cell turnover there by softening lines and wrinkles. Skinpot.Co Hyper Repair Exfoliation Peel is formulated with plant acid and enzymes that go deep within the skin to remove dead cells and bring forth a fresh layer of skin. This weekly ritual results in the deep cleansing of pores, diminished pigmentation and skin that is smooth and radiant.

 

Read more here to find the best exfoliant for your skin.

g) Incorporate Face Oils

Oils are known for their moisturising properties infused with antioxidants to overcome free radicals in the environment. Oils can prevent breakage of the cell wall and lock in hydration and improve the overall texture of the skin. One such oil is Argan Oil with its strong anti ageing Omega 3 Fatty Acids that strengthen the skins tissues, reduce oxidative stress and reduce visible signs of ageing. Coccoon Immortal Youth Face Oil with Peruvian Passoline and Maracuja follows the three R's: Regenerates, Restructures and Remodels skin. This biphasic face oil works effectively to keep wrinkles and fine lines at bay. It also keeps your skin moisturised and soft.

Read more about how to choose the right face oil for your skin here.

h) Use a Derma Roller

By boosting Collagen and elastin production a derma roller can reduce wrinkles and fine lines and improve overall health of the skin. It is the facial technique of causing self inflicted pain by poking the skin with tiny micro needles to speed up the reparation process. We recommend House of Beauty Derma Roller and reading our article to learn all about dermarolling. Check out our article to know more.

Conclusion

Follow this guide to take care of those “not-so-fine” fine lines and overcome deep wrinkles that can make you age 10 times older. Though ageing is a process that is bound to happen, understanding your lines and wrinkles will help you age like fine wine.

-Howrah Lookhmanji