Wrinkles - Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

Wrinkle is a ridge or crease of a surface. It usually refers to folds on fabric or clothes , or on the skin of an organism; the folds are generally random and do not exhibit any repeating pattern. Wrinkles are the thin, creased, and sagging skin that is especially noticeable on the face, neck, and hands. Wind, heat and chemicals and the natural effects of aging cause a certain amount of wrinkling in everyone, but it is much worse in people who spend a lot of time in the sun. Years of exposure to the sun cause "photoaging," which includes freckles, yellowing, roughness, visible blood vessels, and dark spots, as well as wrinkling.

Typically, as a person ages, the sweat and oil glands of the skin become less numerous and smaller in size. This causes the skin to lose moisture and to dry out, and it soon begins to sag in places where the collagen, the elastic fibers that support the skin, has weakened the most. The skin around the eyelids, jaw, and neck is especially thin, and therefore more naturally prone to aging. In addition to sun exposure, smoking may contribute to the formation of wrinkles. Finally, it is believed that some wrinkling is predetermined genetically from one's parents.

Causes of Wrinkles

Aging is also one of the main causes of skin aging. Years of sun exposure cause the supporting structures of the skin, primarily the collagen and elastin, to weaken and break down. In addition, as a person ages, the sweat and oil glands of the skin become less numerous and smaller in size. This causes the skin to lose moisture and to dry out. Dry skin with weak collagen and elastin will sag, shrivel, and wrinkle. The skin around the eyelids, jaw, and neck is especially thin, and therefore more naturally prone to aging.

Other environmental factors, including cigarette smoke and pollution, particularly ozone, may hasten ageing by producing oxygen-free radicals. These are particles produced by many of the body's normal chemical processes in excessive amounts they can damage cell membranes and interact with genetic material, possibly contributing to the development of a number of skin disorders, including wrinkles and, more importantly, cancer. Rapid weight loss can also cause wrinkles by reducing the volume of fat cells that cushion the face. This not only makes a person look gaunt, but can cause the skin to sag.

Symptoms of Wrinkles

1. Deeply formed lines.

2. Skin that is wrinkled may also have a tough, leathery appearance if the person has had a lot of exposure to the sun.

3. Fine, crinkling crosshatch marks.

Treatment of Wrinkles

There are numerous over-the-counter treatment options for wrinkles, including various creams and lotions. Prescription treatments, including the retinoid cream renova, are also an option.Removing skin layers to reduce wrinkles or irregular depressions is an effective way to regain smoother, more youthful looking skin. Dermabrasion (scraping layers away) and chemical peels (dissolving skin away) are two of the traditional methods used in skin resurfacing. Laser skin resurfacing with an ablative laser (such as an erbium or carbon dioxide laser) is another technique that, like dermabrasion and deeper chemical peels, may require some downtime during the healing process.

Other treatment options include Dermabrasion, a procedure that sands away the top layers of skin. Injection of substances such as fat or collagen, which is a gelatin-like substance, under the skin. It is one of the traditional methods used in skin resurfacing. Other lasers, known as non-ablative lasers, may also be beneficial in treating wrinkles. These lasers work by heating the dermis and stimulating collagen growth. This process, which leaves the outer layers of skin intact, has no downtime associated with it. Botulinum toxin- this is used for wrinkles between the eyebrows and around the eyes. The toxin is injected into the muscle that caused the wrinkle. It paralyzes the muscle, so that the wrinkles gradually disappear when the muscle isn't used.

Wrinkles are the thin, creased, and sagging skin that is especially noticeable on the face, neck, and hands. Wind, heat and chemicals and the natural effects of aging cause a certain amount of wrinkling in everyone, but it is much worse in people who spend a lot of time in the sun.

Juliet Cohen writes for skin disorders. She also writes articles on sunburn home remedies and you can get more information on health care.

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