Wrinkles are a natural part of the aging process. They tend to be most noticeable on parts of the skin that’s often exposed to the sun. This usually consists of the face, hands, neck, and arms.

While skin texture and structure is mainly determined by genetics, one of the main causes of wrinkles is exposure to the sun. This is especially true for people who have light skin.

While there’s nothing inherently dangerous about wrinkles, many people consider them to be unsightly and unattractive. However, you don’t have to live with wrinkles if you don’t want to. Continue reading and we’ll go take you through what causes forehead wrinkles as well as how you can get rid of them.

What Causes Forehead Wrinkles?

As you get older, your skin will be subjected to the effects of aging, as well as free radical damage, sun exposure, smoking, and repetitive movements of the facial muscles. All of these factors can contribute to the development of wrinkles on the forehead.

Let’s look more in-depth at these various causes and how they affect the skin.

Aging

As you get older, your skin will undergo a variety of changes that contribute to the development of wrinkles.

First off, skin cells start to divide more slowly and the middle layer of the skin becomes thinner. Protein fibers that give the skin its shape and elasticity will then unravel and loosen. This can cause wrinkles on the surface of the skin.

The amount of fat in the deeper layers of the skin is reduced. The skin will then become less able to maintain and absorb moisture and it will also produce less oil. This can cause the skin to become dryer and can exacerbate the appearance of your wrinkles.

Rete ridges, which are extensions of tissue that join different layers of the skin, will flatten out. This will make your skin become more fragile and wrinkly.

Blood vessels can also constrict. When this happens, the flow of oxygen and blood to skin cells will be inhibited and the skin’s normal repair process will be slowed.

There’s also the factor of gravity. Gravity will pull on your skin over time and cause it to sag.

Facial Movements

Repetitive facial movements can cause tiny facial muscles to contract. These movements can include smiling, squinting, and frowning.

As time goes on, these muscles will stay contracted instead of relaxing. This, along with the pull of gravity, can contribute to the development and progression of wrinkles.

These wrinkles can vary from small lines to deep crevasses.

Sun Exposure

Exposure to the sun’s UV (ultraviolet) rays, both UVA and UVB rays, makes up a majority of premature skin aging. This process is referred to as photoaging.

A person’s skin color, as well as their total lifetime exposure to ultraviolet rays, will determine the severity of skin damage caused by the sun.

A person with darker skin will have more natural protection from the effects of UV radiation compared to a person with lighter skin.

Exposure to UV rays will also affect the layers of the skin in various ways. For example, the sun can damage collagen fibers. Elastin fibers may then begin to accumulate at abnormal amounts.

This can cause enzymes to be produced in big quantities. Usually, these enzymes repair skin by making collagen. However, sun damage can cause these enzymes to malfunction and actually break down collagen.

This can lead to the development of fibers known as “solar scars.” As the body repeats this process over and over, wrinkles will be formed.

Free Radicals

Free radicals are unstable oxygen molecules. These molecules have the ability to change the genetics of a cell. They can then cause skin damage and wrinkles by activating certain enzymes that break down collagen.

This damage can be exacerbated by the smallest amounts of smoking, UV radiation, and exposure to air pollution.

Smoking

People who smoke tend to develop premature wrinkles. Their skin also usually appears to age dramatically when compared with the skin of people of the same age who don’t smoke.

Toxic chemicals in tobacco can damage skin in many different ways. Those chemicals can affect the chemical makeup, color, texture, and elasticity of the skin. Smoking can also produce those harmful enzymes that break down collagen.

In addition to the tobacco, the nicotine that’s found in cigarettes can cause blood vessels to constrict in the outer layers of the skin. This can restrict the amount of oxygen, blood, and nutrients, such as vitamin A, that reach and heal the skin.

The skin cells of people who smoke will also be slower to regenerate.

Prevention

Believe it or not, there are certain actions that you can perform while you’re young as a way to prevent the development of wrinkles as you get older.

First off, it’s important that you protect your skin from the sun. You should limit how much time you spend out in the sun, especially at midday. You should also always wear protective clothing, such as sunglasses, long-sleeved shirts, and wide-brimmed hats.

You should also use sunscreen when you go outdoors at all times of the year.

You want to pick a skin-care product that comes with a built-in sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15. It’s generally recommended that people use a broad-spectrum sunscreen that has an SPF of at least 30.

You should generously apply the product and reapply it every two hours. If you’re sweating or swimming, then you should apply sunscreen more often.

It’s also important that you use products that come with built-in sunscreen. When you’re shopping for skincare products, you want to select ones that come with broad-spectrum sunscreen mixed in.

And remember to moisturize. Dry skin will shrivel plump skin cells.

This can cause premature wrinkles and fine lines in your skin. By moisturizing your skin, you’ll be able to trap water and thus be able to mask creases and lines.

It might take a few weeks of regular use of the moisturizer before you notice any improvements in your skin but it’s worth it.

You should also avoid smoking. Even if you’ve been a heavy smoker for years, you can still greatly improve your skin texture and tone and keep wrinkles at bay by quitting.

And make sure that you eat a healthy diet. By making sure that there are certain vitamins in your diet, you’ll be able to keep your skin looking healthy and fresh.

How to Get Rid of Forehead Wrinkles

There are a variety of non-invasive as well as surgical options that people have when it comes to getting rid of forehead wrinkles. Let’s look at some of the most common wrinkle solutions below.

Look for Products With Hyaluronic Acid

One of the most coveted ingredients on the skincare market is hyaluronic acid. That’s because this ingredient has the ability to hold 1,000 times its weight in water. While this is great in terms of hydration, it’s also extremely useful for minimizing the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines.

Use Retinoids at Night to Stimulate Collagen Growth

Retinoids can stimulate collagen growth, which will help make your skin firmer and tighter. Because your skin repairs itself at night, you can expedite the process by applying retinoids before you go to bed.

Also, retinoids can sometimes lead to mild irritation. However, that irritation should subside by the time you wake up in the morning.

Fractional Laser Resurfacing

This is a treatment that’s used to smooth the skin by getting rid of skin that’s been damaged by the sun. The process is able to create new collagen.

Microtunnels of tissue are removed by a fractionated laser and the surrounding tissue is then heated. As the areas heal, new elastin and collagen are created. This will smooth out the skin and wrinkles.

Recipients of this procedure will also notice a lessened pigmentation from sun damage.

By using a carbon dioxide (CO2) laser for fractional skin resurfacing, you’ll be able to remove parts of the epidermis and penetrate into the papillary dermis. This will stimulate healing by forming new collagen.

When this happens, wrinkles will be smoothed out and skin texture and tone will also be improved. There is usually minimal discomfort associated with this procedure.

Depending on how many areas are being treated, the procedure can take between thirty minutes to an hour to complete.

Microneedling

Microneedling is the process of rejuvenating the skin while stimulating the production of collagen. This is a minimally invasive procedure that promotes scarless healing.

With microneedling, you’ll receive the same benefits as fractional laser treatments but there will be less downtime. The treatment, in addition to stimulating natural collagen, creates fine channels in the skin. These channels can deliver up to eighty percent more topical nutrients to feed underlying cells.

Facelift

A facelift is an effective and popular way to get rid of forehead wrinkles. There are several different kinds of facelifts that are worth knowing about.

First, there is the liquid facelift. This minimally invasive procedure uses precisely placed fillers. These fillers are sometimes used in combination with neurotoxins, such as Xeomin® and Botox®, along with your body’s own Platelet Rich Plasma.

All of these elements work together to contour and lift the features of the face and bring back the youthful aspects of the face without using surgery.

A laser facelift is able to rejuvenate the face and neck but without all of the downtime and bruising that usually comes with traditional surgical procedures. With this process, a skilled surgeon makes multiple little access points by the chin and the ears.

They inject a numbing fluid into those areas. The surgeon will then use a laser to treat the skin as well as the underlying tissue that’s beneath.

Fatty tissue is then removed and a more contoured look is achieved. This procedure usually takes less than an hour to complete and can be accomplished with local anesthesia.

A mini-facelift is a mildly invasive procedure that’s a great option for anyone who’s experiencing a mild degree of “jowling” and sagging skin. This procedure allows your cosmetic surgeon to tighten facial tissues by making incisions along the hairline above each ear.

Skin around the cheeks is then lifted and tightened in order to redefine the jawline and also get rid of the appearance of jowling. Depending on each patient’s specific case, a mini-facelift might be done with local or general anesthesia with sedation.

This procedure gives patients the ability to address the early signs of aging before they become more noticeable. It can also delay the desire for surgery by many years.

Forehead/Browlift

With a forehead/browlift, the brow may be raised in order to improve facial balance. Other times, the forehead will be smoothed and the hairline can even be lowered.

In order to surgically raise the browline, there are several kinds of incisions and procedures that can be utilized. Some involve minimal incisions and mainly elevate the lateral brow. Other procedures might elevate the entire forehead in order to eliminate frown lines and smooth the forehead.

The Importance of Knowing What Causes Forehead Wrinkles and How to Get Rid of Them

Hopefully, after reading the above article, you now have a better understanding of what causes forehead wrinkles as well as how to get rid of them. While it’s best to prevent the development of wrinkles while you’re young, you can also utilize a variety of treatments in order to take care of them as you get older.

Are you looking to take care of your wrinkles and get younger-looking skin? If so, then contact us today and see what we can do for you!