At a certain age skin cells renew more slowly, the complexion loses its light, wrinkles begin to deepen and skin gradually gives up its elasticity and firmness. Ageing is not a process anyone can halt, but today's anti-ageing creams, more inventive with every year, can soften what it does.
What kinds of wrinkles are there?
There are several kinds of wrinkle, each formed its own way. A fine line is a furrow no deeper than a millimetre; beyond that, it is a wrinkle. Facial wrinkles take their names from where they sit.
Expression lines
Also called dynamic wrinkles, they come from the facial muscles contracting again and again — to smile, to register surprise, to show displeasure:
- Forehead lines run horizontally between the eyebrows and the hairline, often the work of hard concentration or flashes of anger.
- Crow's feet sit at the outer corners of the eyes; they are the first to appear, drawn by laughter, before they settle in for good as the skin loses its give.
- Frown lines are the vertical furrows between the eyes, caused by the unconscious contraction of the muscles there.
Age lines
Also called static wrinkles, these come from skin losing its elasticity and slackening — a matter of age, sharpened by outside factors such as the sun. They include marionette lines (from the corners of the mouth down to the chin), nasolabial folds (from the sides of the nose to the corners of the mouth), and the lines of the neck and décolleté.
How do you fight wrinkles?
From 30 onwards, the average age of a first wrinkle, anti-ageing care can soften the signs of ageing skin by hydrating it and leaving it supple and luminous. Research has turned up natural molecules with an anti-ageing effect that stand in for chemical ingredients: plant oils (argan, rosehip, prickly pear, grapeseed) and plant extracts. These actives help wake up the skin's own functions, which slow with age, and stimulate cell regeneration for firmer, more resilient skin.
What goes into an anti-ageing product?
- Antioxidants fight free radicals, improve the surface of the skin and repair the damage done by pollution; recommended for thin, less dense skin.
- Vitamin A, as retinol (the gentler form), stimulates cell renewal, smooths shallow fine lines and thickens the skin.
- AHAs (alpha hydroxy acids), found in citrus fruit, grapes and sugar cane, exfoliate dead cells, hydrate and smooth the features.
- Hyaluronic acid, a sugar the body produces naturally, holds the hydration level of the epidermis, bringing tone and elasticity.
How do you prevent skin ageing?
Anti-ageing cosmetics only truly work alongside good preventive habits:
- Massage your face: small circular movements from the centre outwards relax and smooth the features, and boost what anti-ageing creams can do.
- Try facial gymnastics: it works the muscles of the face, gets the small blood vessels moving and stimulates the production of elastin and collagen.
- Protect yourself from the sun: avoid the hours of strongest sunlight and apply sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher.
- Finish your shower with a blast of cold water: three minutes are enough to improve circulation and firm the skin.
- Remove your make-up every evening: the first gesture of beauty and skin health, and an essential anti-ageing one.
- Drink water: at least 1.5 litres a day, more in high heat or with physical activity.
- Move your body: exercise helps circulation and skin tone.
- Sleep well: 7 to 8 hours a night, since sleep is when cells regenerate.
- Eat well: go easy on fatty and sugary food, favour vegetables, fruit and olive oil, all rich in antioxidants.
What other anti-wrinkle techniques exist?
Beyond creams, other techniques can hold wrinkles back: cosmetic surgery, which offers a range of surgical approaches, and aesthetic medicine, an alternative that touches only the surface tissue and whose results are reversible for most techniques:
- Botulinum toxin injections (Botox) block certain facial muscles whose contraction creates expression lines, softening them.
- Injections of resorbable fillers (hyaluronic acid, collagen) fill in wrinkles and improve how the skin holds.
- A peel applies a chemical to trigger a limited, controlled breakdown of the epidermis, stimulating regeneration and collagen production.
- Thread lifts place a system of threads under the skin to pull the tissues of the face back into tension.
Skin, like the rest of our cells, follows a life cycle no one escapes: ageing is a natural phenomenon that cannot be stopped, only slowed, through a healthy life and care rich in hydrating, firming actives.
