Although some people have more wrinkles and lines than others, and some get them sooner than others, the hard truth is that, eventually, we all wrinkle, and here’s why.
You’re losing collagen faster than you make it
In your mid-20s, your body slows down its production of collagen, an abundant protein that keeps your skin strong, resilient, and plump. When your skin loses collagen, it loses its ability to recover from environmental exposure, injuries, and other damaging events.
You’re getting older
Everything slows down when you age, including your cell turnover. When cell division decelerates, the middle layer of your skin (the dermis) thins, and the collagen and elastin fibers loosen and unravel, allowing wrinkles to form on the surface.
Aging skin also retains less moisture, and this lack of oil and water contributes to wrinkling.
You’ve spent a lot of time in the sun
Whether you’re a sun worshiper or a diligent sunscreen-wearer, eventually, the ultraviolet rays find their way into your skin. And the effect is cumulative, so every quick unprotected trip to the mailbox adds to your lifetime sun exposure quotient.
Once they penetrate your skin, the sun’s rays break down your collagen fibers and damage your skin cells — a process called photoaging.
You smoke
You know you should quit smoking for health reasons, but you may not realize what smoking does to your skin. Your skin is already fighting an uphill battle trying to replace old collagen, but smoking interferes with the production process, putting you at a huge disadvantage and giving you more wrinkles than nonsmokers.
Your parents have wrinkles
Genetics plays a role in when you’ll develop wrinkles, how many wrinkles you’ll get, and where they’ll appear. There’s not much you can do about that, but there is something you can do once you start to see those lines show up — laser skin resurfacing.
