What are forehead wrinkles?
Forehead wrinkles are horizontal lines across your forehead which occur when raising your eyebrows. They are used to convey feelings and human emotions such as fear, surprise and happiness.
Why do forehead wrinkles appear?
Forehead wrinkles are caused by the action of the frontalis muscle on the forehead. This muscle contracts when we raise our eyebrows. The raising of the frontalis muscle pulls the skin of the forehead up and causes forehead wrinkles which appear as lines across our forehead.
Some people naturally tend to be more expressive, and raise their eyebrows many times throughout the day, when we are young our skin will bounce back when we stop raising our eyebrows, however as we get older the skin tends to form a more permanent line on the forehead.
How to prevent forehead wrinkles
Ageing is a natural process, however there are specific lifestyle factors which can have an impact on how early we may develop lines and wrinkles. By being aware of these factors and making specific lifestyle changes it may be possible to influence the development and severity of these wrinkles.
Reducing overuse of the forehead muscle
Human expressions are learnt from family, friends and the people we encounter in our lives, we may raise our eyebrows to show interest in something or when we are surprised. Facial expressions are important part of communication, however people that tend to be very expressive may find that lines tend to start appearing earlier than others.
In our early thirties we may notice that the lines are present on our forehead, even when we are not expressing or raising our eyebrows, this is because, the skin is like any material, over time, if it is folded in one way, repeatedly it will leave a permanent mark, constant wrinkling of the skin tends to form a deeper line. By reducing the movement of the forehead we can help to prevent the forehead wrinkles forming early.
Try to become consciously aware of the time that you may be raising your eyebrows. If you find that you are naturally expressive and tend to raise your eyebrows frequently during conversation, try to become consciously aware about the times that you are doing this and try to break the habit.
Having a diet rich in antioxidants
Antioxidants are present in fruit, vegetables and vitamins such as vitamins A, C and E. Antioxidants can help improve skin health by getting rid of compounds in our skin called free radicals which can harmfully effect the way the skin repairs itself. If the skin is not repairing itself effectively and creating new skin cells, it can lose essential proteins such as collagen and elastin which give our skin its youthful, springy and smooth feel.
Drinking water and skin health
An adequate water intake important in maintaining healthy and vibrant skin. Water is essential for proper organ function, and since the skin is our body’s largest organ, it’s incredibly important for keeping moisture in the upper skin layers and maintaining youthful skin.
Dehydration causes skin to dry out, increasing the likelihood of wrinkles and other blemishes developing. To maintain skin health it is important to drink plenty of water and keep your body well hydrated. Caffeinated beverages like coffee and popular energy drinks are powerful diuretics that can cause you to become dehydrated. If you drink a lot of coffee, make sure you compensate using water to keep your skin hydrated and by using a good moisturiser to retain in the moisture in the skin.
Excess sun exposure damages skin and ages skin prematurely
Being careful to avoid direct sun exposure will reduce the rate at which wrinkles develop and also prevent other skin conditions such as patches of excess pigmentation, and reduce your risk of developing skin cancer. Exposure to powerful sun UVA and UVB radiation can lead to a golden brown tan, but it can also result in severe damage to your skin that results in early development of lines and wrinkles on the face.
One of the best ways to diminish harmful aging effects of the sun is to avoid long-term exposure to bright sunlight, as well as using topical anti-UV products such a sunscreens. Harmful Ultraviolet radiation can penetrate through clouds and therefore it is good to wear sunscreens on a daily basis, particularly if you tend to burn easily and have fair skin which lacks melanin, the skin’s natural protective skin pigment.
Alcohol dries out your skin
Frequently drinking large amounts of alcohol over the recommended guidelines can be bad for the skin as alcohol is an extremely potent diuretic that makes you feel fatigued and dehydrated causing dry skin and compromised health.
Drinking alcohol increases your body’s cortisol levels, which is released in the body in response to stress. High cortisol levels and dehydration can affect the skin’s ability to regenerate and repair itself, decreasing levels of collagen in the skin, one of the most important proteins for skin health. Keeping alcohol within government recommended limits can help to improve skin health and prevent early lines and wrinkles including forehead wrinkles.
Smoking damages collagen and irritates healthy skin
Smoking has many harmful effects to general health including the skin. Nicotine causing blood vessels to constrict and therefore reducing blood supply to the skin. The reduced blood supply means the skin is under stress and more harmful free radicals are produced which can alter the DNA of the skin and slow down the replenishing of collagen and elastin. Smokers tend to age quicker than non-smokers and their skin can appear dry, with a loss of its natural bounce.
How to reduce forehead wrinkles
The right combination of cosmetic products and skin treatments can improve the appearance of and texture of the skin, help to delay deterioration in skin health and may over a period of time help to reduce the appearance of forehead wrinkles.
Antioxidant skin creams
As well as eating beneficial antioxidants by having a diet rich in fresh fruit and vegetables we can also provide the skin with antioxidants by applying it directly onto our skin, which can help to give our skin the protection it needs topically, directly where it is needed. Topical Anitioxidants such as Vitamin C and E are available through skincare brands and they can penetrate directly into the skin and have been shown to benefit skin health.
Exfoliating treatments
The skin is constantly in a cycle of regeneration, where new skin cells are being produced lower down, and older skin cells are present at the top layer. These older skin cells can sometimes be laid down in an uneven pattern. In certain conditions particularly those with dry skin, the dead cells can become large in number leaving the skin with a rough, dry and dull appearance.
Exfoliating products, creams and scrubs can remove the top layer of the skin, revealing the bottom layer of new skin cells leaving the skin with a smooth, fresh and more youthful appearance. Microdermabrasion uses a machine tip to automatically remove dead skin cells and uses the principle of exfoliation to improve the texture of the skin.
Using the skin’s healing mechanism to improve the skin
Chemical peels and laser treatments can help to improve the quality of the skin by promoting the peeling away of top layers of dead skin cells and by tapping into the skin’s natural healing mechanism. Chemical peels and laser treatments can cause slight harm to the top layer of skin, this signals a cascade of healing and over time the skin produces new skin cells which are brighter, better hydrated, smoother and more youthful in appearance.
Treating forehead lines with Botox injections
As effective as healthy diets and beauty products can be, for improving skin health and the appearance and texture of the skin, however once lines are present they may not be as effective in treating them. A popular treatment which can reduce forehead lines are Botox injections. Botox may be considered after lifestyle factors which promote skin aging are addressed and after adhering to a good skincare and beauty regime to protect and nourish the skin.
Botox is a muscle relaxant which is injected into the frontalis muscle on the forehead. This causes relaxation of the muscle for a three month period, thus reducing the upward movement of the eyebrow and stopping the skin from wrinkling. Botox can also help to break the habit of excess facial expressions, may correct uneven eyebrows and may also work to prevent expression lines from developing deeper than they would have done without treatment.
Forehead Botox treatment is often performed together with frown Botox treatment as this tends to give a more even result with the whole of the forehead (lower and upper) being successfully treated, and often avoids the heavy eyebrows look that can occur which just treating the forehead on its own.
