The emergence of wrinkles is as natural as breathing. However,  they represent a direct connection to the stage of life everyone is more or less afraid of: that’s the stage in which it will take us a bit more time to memorize things, our bones will feel rusty and the simplest shopping or taking a walk will be troublesome. What women fear the most are wrinkles that the old age brings with itself and that puts them into distress because of their unattractiveness. Luckily, there’s a lot of high-tech cosmetic products that help in making the wrinkles less visible.

Originally there are 2 main types of wrinkles: dynamic wrinkles and crepe-paper wrinkles. Dynamic wrinkles are innate to everyone from the moment of birth. They appear when we use our facial expression and are more noticeable when we get older. They usually appear around the lips, the corners of the eyelids (where the wrinkles are known as crow’s’ feet), between the eyebrows and on the forehead.

 

But why do they appear?   

Healthy skin has a layer (epidermis) that acts as a ‘shield’ to the outside impacts. Places with the highest incidence of wrinkles’ appearance are the face, chest, and arms because of a lack of collagen (which provides out skin with firmness), elastin (which supplies skin flexibility and rebound) and glycosaminoglycans or GAGs (which gives skin hydration). There is an abundance of theories on factors that cause wrinkles, but a general opinion is that it is due to intrinsic and extrinsic aging.

Intrinsic aging is a lifelong, natural process. After the age of 20, we’re losing a bit of collagen with each year. We also lose elastin, GAGs and the functioning of sweat glands is diminished. Lack of elastin and collagen, as well as a lack of natural hydration naturally lead to wrinkle formation.

 

How UV rays cause wrinkles?

A study involving  298 women aged between 30 and 78 with 12 experts and other volunteers studied the faces of women on pictures. The results of the research have shown that the damage to skin done by the sun is greater by age, especially after the age of 50.  They deduced that 80 percent of skin damage can be attributed to UV rays. Women who loved being in the sun looked older than they really were. Women with 78 percent of sun damage looked 3 years younger, the ones with exactly 80 percent of sun damage looked their age and women with 82 percent of sun damage looked 3 years older. However, skin sagging cause is still to be completely determined, though it is widely confirmed that the most probable reason is gravity which falls into intrinsic aging factors which make us think that pinpointing aging factors is not that easy after all.

 

How does inappropriate diet cause wrinkles?

Your skin is the mirror of your eating habits. Nutrition is a huge factor in the skin-care process. Everything you consume is distributed to the skin and plays a part not only in its outward look but also in its inner condition.  Here are some of the dont’s when it comes to skin-care and its aging.

• Bread: It is high in glucose and insulin levels that account for 50 percent of skin inflammations. Switching to whole-grain meals is much more endorsed since it is anti – inflammatory.
• Sweets: They damages collagen and elastin and creates wrinkles.
• Alcohol: It dries out your skin which is a great base for wrinkle development.
• Coffee: Caffein both dehydrates your skin and produces cortisol and thins your skin.
• Fried foods: They cause fat to build up in your skin and are responsible for breakouts.
• Processed foods: They are rich in sodium and sugar which we have already labeled as bad for skin.
• Artificial colors and sweeteners: They create inflammation and histamine reactions and stores these chemicals in the tissue. Your body doesn’t recognize these and therefore can not dissolve it.
• Salt: It causes your skin to look unhealthy because it swells your tissues.

 

Foods that prevent wrinkles

Nutritionists whole-heartedly suggest eating Mediterranean food since it is low in fat. The key to a healthy diet that would lead to better skin encompasses whole-grain foods, i.e. foods that are close to their natural state. We should also consume a lot of low-fat products vegetables, fruits, and whole-grain. The following would be just some of the recommendations:

• Romaine lettuce: It is full of vitamins A and C. You can also try broccoli, spinach, arugula, watercress, escarole, and endive.
• Tomatoes: They are rich in lycopene.as well as watermelon and therefore hydrates the skin.
• Salmon: It is high in omega-3 fats that are reducing inflammation.
• Lentils and Beans: It is full of proteins which skin is essentially made of.
• Oatmeals: They are rich in vitamin B that enables the production of new cells and prevents rashes.

 

What else can we do to prevent wrinkles?

A lot of contributors are involved in aging. Some of them are not unavoidable and are what nature has bestowed us with while the others can be controlled (exposure to the sun, nutrition, alcohol, and cigarette consumption) However, are there some other things we can do to look younger?

Sleeping is claimed to give us young-looking appearance. Although its effect is short-lived, it must not be neglected as it is beneficial for both our looks and inner state. Additionally, people are encouraged to sleep on their back to prevent ‘sleeping wrinkles’. Exercising increases blood flow which helps the important nutrients to get to the skin. Combined with balanced diet, it tightens the skin and therefore delays aging.

All in all, getting older is maybe the only thing that all people have in common. It is not something we’re all excited about but if we do the things that are in our hands-eating better, sleeping well, protecting ourselves from the sun and keep our distance with foods high in calories and sugar (at least 5 days on weekly basis) and keeping ourselves in good shape – there’s nothing that should make us weary and depressed about the years to come.