Wrinkles may be another natural sign of aging, but that doesn’t mean you have to put up with them. Whether they’re under your eyes, on your hands, around your mouth, or on your forehead, they can often serve as an unhappy reminder of your age.
Fortunately, there are a great many ways you can get rid of them. And no, you don’t need to see a cosmetic surgeon right away to deal with the problem. Sometimes that’s necessary. If your wrinkles don’t respond to other treatments, a cosmetic surgeon, dermatologist, or physician can provide other options with lasting results. But those treatments can be expensive, and you may not like the idea of having someone perform even a minimally-invasive procedure.
That’s why it’s a good idea to start with some basic, natural remedies first. Doing so will save you money, and can often be extremely effective.
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You don’t have to simply give up and accept your wrinkles. If you’re not happy with the effect they have on your appearance, consider giving the following remedies a try.
4 Things to Avoid (Must!)
If you’re going to eliminate wrinkles, it’s important that you first understand what factors cause them to develop in the first place. While some of them, like aging, are outside of your control, others can be managed or avoided. Keep these tips in mind to prevent more wrinkles from forming.
Don’t Smoke
As if you needed another reason to give up smoking, now you know that this habit can also hasten the development of wrinkles. That’s because it reduces the overall elasticity of your skin. When your skin is less elastic, wrinkles form much more easily.
Of course, it can be difficult to give up smoking. Plenty of people wish they could. If you’re having trouble, ask your doctor for help. They can recommend a specialist who’ll offer treatments designed specifically for smokers who are trying to quit.
Avoid (Too Much of) the Sun
Although a little bit of sun is actually good for you, too much exposure to UV rays can result in everything from sunburn to skin cancer. On top of that, UV rays break down your skin’s natural connective tissues.
Wear sunscreen whenever you’re spending a lot of time outside, even on cloudy days—contrary to popular belief, UV rays can actually penetrate clouds, so they offer essentially no protection from the sun if you’re outside for a long time. You should also wear clothing that covers your skin whenever possible, and try to spend more time in the shade.
Limit Stress
Mental and emotional stress leads to physical tension. Prolonged physical tension leads to wrinkles. If you’re going through a stressful time in your life, try to find ways to minimize your worries. If there’s a particular issue that’s stressing you out, do whatever you can to address it.
In the meantime, take up meditation, exercise, or anything else that helps you relax.
Don’t Wash Your Face Too Often
Obviously, it’s important to wash your face, but washing it too much will remove all its natural oils. When this happens, lines start to form.
12 Daily Habits For Long Term Benefits
Unfortunately, it’s not easy to get rid of wrinkles quickly. It takes time before you can see results. That’s why it’s important to focus on positive daily habits that will have long-term effects. These include eating the right foods, using the right products, and making healthy choices for your skin.
Get Some Sleep
Obviously, getting enough sleep is important for many reasons. Preventing wrinkles is just one of them.
When a person doesn’t get adequate sleep, the body produces more cortisol, the stress hormone. As you can probably guess, cortisol is also released when you’re worried, anxious, or stressed out.
Cortisol breaks down skin cells, making you more vulnerable to wrinkles. On the other hand, when you get a healthy amount of sleep, your body produces more Human Growth Hormone, which serves to keep your skin tight and supple.
Use Retinoid Creams
Want an FDA-approved way to get rid of wrinkles? Ask a cosmetics expert to provide you with a quality retinoid cream. Applying this to your wrinkles on a daily basis will promote better skin health, getting rid of both acne and age spots too.
Just be sure to follow the directions for use, and be consistent. While you may wish there was a product out there that would eliminate your wrinkles with a single use, the truth is, you need to keep applying these types of creams and lotions on a regular basis if you want the best possible results.
Eat Fish
If you don’t eat a lot of fish, now is a good time to start incorporating it in your diet. Salmon is especially good for your skin. It contains a healthy dose of both protein and omega-3 fatty acids. These two essential nutrients promote strong, youthful skin development.
Eat Your Fruits & Vegetables
Doctors have probably urged you to eat your fruits and veggies ever since you were a child. There’s a good reason for this. They contain antioxidants, which combat free radicals in your body. Free radicals are essentially unstable molecules that have been known to damage skin cells.
Have Some Dark Chocolate
Sometimes, you can enjoy yourself while also staying healthy. For example, eating some dark chocolate from time to time is a smart way to treat yourself and protect your skin. That’s because, like fruits and vegetables, it also contains antioxidants.
So does red wine. While you don’t want to overindulge in these treats, they can offer you the chance to keep your skin healthy without restricting yourself to a bland diet.
Add Some Olive Oil to Your Face
Strange as the idea may seem, massaging your face for about 20 minutes every day with olive oil is a good way to get rid of wrinkles. Olive oil is a natural moisturizer, and it contains nutrients which can promote healthy skin.
Given its scent—which is noticeable, even if you find it to be pleasant—you shouldn’t put any olive oil on your face if you plan on going out anytime in the near future. Instead, massage a few drops into your face before showering.
Put Some Honey On
True, this trick may also seem a little weird, but beauty experts swear by it. The fact of the matter is, honey is also a natural moisturizer, and many people feel that rubbing it into their face and letting it remain there for about an hour and a half is actually a very relaxing experience.
Obviously, you’re going to want to wash your face thoroughly afterwards. Make sure you’re not wearing honey on your face in any place where insects are nearby, as they may be drawn to it, resulting in an experience that will be anything but relaxing 😀
Drink Green Tea
Drinking a cup of green tea every day can help to repair sun damage, one of the main causes of wrinkles. On top of that, green tea contains the amino acid l-theanine, which promotes a calm, relaxed state of mind. Many people actually use l-theanine as a natural alternative to anti-anxiety medications, since it doesn’t have any unpleasant side effects.
Thus, green tea can also help to reduce stress, one of the major causes of wrinkles.
Apply Vitamin C
Vitamin C is an important nutrient, but if you’re only getting it from food, you may not be experiencing all the ways in which it can benefit your skin. Applying topical vitamin C to your face and hands can stimulate the production of collagen. This, in turn, makes wrinkles less likely to form.
Head to your nearest pharmacy or cosmetics store and ask a specialist to recommend a topical cream or lotion that contains a healthy dosage of vitamin C. Apply it daily as part of your beauty regimen. This helps to both prevent and eliminate wrinkles.
Wear Moisturizer
You don’t necessarily need to buy expensive products to keep wrinkles at bay. When your skin is moist, it’s much harder to notice lines, creases, and wrinkles. Moisturizing on a daily basis can also be very relaxing. As you know, the more relaxed you are, the less vulnerable you will be to wrinkles and other signs of aging.
Exercise Your Face
Your face needs exercise, just like any other part of your body. You want to keep your skin tight, and performing some basic exercises will help you achieve this goal. Just take a few moments each day to raise up your eyebrows and open your mouth wide.
True, you probably don’t want to do this when you’ll be seen, otherwise people might be concerned, but it’s something that doesn’t take much time. You can easily perform these exercises in the shower, the bathroom, or any other private setting.
Stay Hydrated
When you don’t drink enough water throughout the day, your skin dries out. When your skin dries out, wrinkles form much more easily. Staying hydrated will result in a more youthful, vibrant appearance.
For the best results, drink at least eight glasses of water a day. If you’re constantly on the go, get a quality water bottle and keep it with you whenever possible. Then you’ll be able to fill it up whenever you have the chance.
5 Excellent Medical Options
Again, you may not need to see a specialist in order to prevent and eliminate wrinkles. However, there are cases where doing so will offer the best results.
Consider medical treatments after you’ve tried natural remedies and adjusted your daily habits first. You can save a lot of money by not heading to the cosmetic surgeon at the first sign of wrinkles. Although medical treatments are safe, they’re still much more expensive than applying creams, eating right, sleeping well, and staying hydrated.
Dermabrasion
The process of dermabrasion involves removing the top layer of your skill cells. Usually, a dermatologist will offer this treatment, though a cosmetic surgeon who also specializes in skin care may as well. You’ll experience little to no discomfort during treatment.
Once the top layer of skin cells has been removed, younger, healthier skin can develop in its place. This option is ideal for people whose wrinkles have recently begun to form. If you’ve had wrinkles for a long time, dermabrasion will still be beneficial, but it won’t necessarily be able to completely reverse the signs of aging.
Botox
Botox injections work by relaxing the layer of tissue directly beneath a wrinkle. As a result, wrinkles settle on the tissue more smoothly, and creases are less visible.
Wrinkle Fillers
Sometimes, it isn’t necessary to actually get rid of wrinkles to reduce their appearance. Instead, doctors may use synthetic compounds to fill them in. These procedures make wrinkles much less noticeable than they previously were.
Laser Resurfacing
Collagen is often produced during the skin’s natural healing process. Doctors use this principle to eliminate wrinkles by removing the top layer of a patient’s skin with a laser or high-intensity light. During the process, the body recognizes the resurfacing as a wound, generating collagen and growing a new, healthy layer of skin in response. The new skin is healthier than the old layer, and the collagen ensures that it stays firm and supple.
Chemical Peels
Although the treatment is safe, some people understandably dislike the idea of letting someone take a laser to their skin. In these instances, they may prefer chemical peels instead. This treatment method works just like the laser resurfacing method. Chemicals “burn” away the thin, top layer of skin, resulting in the growth of new skin and the production of collagen.
Final Words
Again, you may want to try other remedies before seeking medical or cosmetic treatments. Although a number of factors, including simple genetics, play a role in determining whether or not you’ll be prone to wrinkles, you can easily make your skin look healthier by simply making some changes to your lifestyle and using some products you have around the house.
You deserve to be happy with what you see when you look in the mirror. Wrinkles don’t have to ruin that.