What causes wrinkles and how do you treat them?

In my line of work, you meet people every day that are ready to wage a battle against time and aging. We all want to look in reality, how we look in our mind, which is almost always a younger version of ourselves. Often the biggest culprit in revealing our age are wrinkles. So, the first question these individuals usually ask is “How do I get rid of them?” To explain that, let us first understand what exactly wrinkles are and how they form.

One fact that seems obvious but is rarely considered, is that the muscles in your face are often some of the most used muscles in the human body! Believe it or not, you are contracting your facial muscles hundreds of times a day, and each time you contract your facial muscles, your skin wrinkles. These are called dynamic lines because they form only when the muscle contracts. As your skin ages however, it gets thinner and loses its collagen and elasticity. These dynamic lines can now become more easily “etched” into our skin and form a static line aka wrinkle – which is a crease that is always visible even while at rest.

Botox treatments are the most popular treatment to relax the muscles used that crease the skin and therefore works to block dynamic lines. By treating dynamic lines, you prevent static lines from settling. With continued treatments (maintenance visits), creases that are etched into the skin can also improve greatly and become less deep. Botox treatments take anywhere from 3-14 days to kick in. Once it kicks in, the results last for about 3 months.

While Botox is the most popular treatment, it IS NOT right for everyone. It’s important to think of your skin, and face specifically not as one singular body part, but rather multiple elements that create one whole. Meaning, treatments to one part of your face might cause adverse reactions or outcomes to another part of your face. There are many destinations a person can go to get Botox, but for the reasons above it is of the utmost importance to see a board certified dermatologist who can assess your skin and treat you safely and appropriately.