With age comes wisdom… and an acceptance of what you can and cannot change. While you cannot stop the clock, you can help minimize the toll aging takes on your skin, especially when it comes to the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

What Causes Fine Lines and Wrinkles?

You are more likely to have fine lines and wrinkles if:

• You are exposed to the sun, free radicals through pollution or smoke
• Your mother has or had them
• As we age, the production of natural oils, collagen, and elastin decrease leaving skin drier, thinner, and less resilient. Fat stored beneath the skin’s surface starts to diminish, causing the skin to lose firmness.

Ways to Prevent Fine Lines

Minimize Sun Exposure

No matter how much love our vitamin D, sun exposure is the skin’s biggest woe. It can lead to skin damage and premature wrinkling of the skin. Avoid stepping out when the sunlight is harsh and direct. If you must, never step out without wearing a broad-spectrum sunscreen. For extra protection, wear a hat and sunglasses so you’re safe at all times. Also, it’s still important to wear sunscreen if it’s not sunny!

Moisturise

fine lines start to appear as you grow older but dry, parched skin acts like a catalyst speeding up the condition. Therefore, it’s needed to hydrate the skin properly all the time. Choose a moisturizer for your skin and slather your under-eye area as well. Hyaluronic acid and vitamin c help prevent fine lines and stop them from getting deeper.

Use Retinol

Retinol is a derivative of vitamin A therefore, it acts amazingly well to prevent fine lines and wrinkles. One of the most sight-after anti-aging ingredients, retinol helps in boosting collagen production in the skin which makes it younger-looking and plumper. However, if you have sensitive skin you must not use retinol without consulting with your dermatologist and performing a patch test.

Quit Smoking

The reason is simple—tobacco breaks the skin collagen and elastin that basically forms the skin structure. Nicotine in it obstructs the blood flow by constricting the blood vessels. This limits the flow of oxygen to the skin and devoid it of nutrients. Therefore, if you smoke and are worried about skin looking dull with signs of aging popping up, quit smoking now.

Face Exercise

If you constantly have tension on your face and often find yourself frowning and clenching your lips, you need to practice relaxing your face. Also, get your eyes checked if you squint often to read or see a far-off thing properly. All this can also lead to fine lines under the eye area. Practice face yoga and deep breathing to release tension from the face and increase the flow of blood and oxygen.

Sleep on Your Back

There have been various studies that prove that sleep on one side or on the stomach can distort facial skin. Such sleeping position causes mechanical compression force which speeds up wrinkle formation. It is also believed that using silk pillowcases in place of cotton can also help prevent wrinkles as silk causes less friction as compared to cotton.