What Are the Causes of Wrinkles?

Overexposure to the sun

Applying sunscreen to prevent sunburn is a small part of the protection offered with this vigilant form of skin care. Long-term sun exposure causes the breakdown of elastin in the skin. This vital skin cell protein keeps skin supple and smooth, as well as preventing wrinkles. Reducing sun exposure and protecting the skin are the best ways to prevent wrinkles.

Overexposure to the sun causes wrinkles by attacking the very proteins that keep the skin healthy and flexible. Collagen and elastin exist in abundance in young skin that hasn't been exposed to harsh UV rays. Protecting the skin with adequate sunscreen and the skin around the eyes with sunglasses is the optimum way to prevent wrinkles.

Aging process

As our skin ages, the body produces less collagen and elastin, two proteins that help keep skin cells supple and flexible. The skin also has less ability to replenish old skin cells. This combination of activity affects the skin cells on the most basic level. The result is less elastic skin that doesn't rebound from regular facial movements as quickly. Loss of collagen and elastin through the aging process often results in a static wrinkle. Facial movements don't generate static wrinkles but remain even after the underlying facial muscles relax.

Consider your skin a sponge that absorbs vitamins and nutrients. Over time, the skin becomes less efficient at absorbing essential nutrients to allow for healthy, glowing skin. Skin on the face loses elasticity that can cause sagging and drooping jowls. Those laugh lines (called dynamic wrinkles) may disappear after you cease the expression as the muscles relax. In later life, those same lines will become a more permanent fixture on your face.

Diet and Water

Everything we put into our bodies affects every cell in our body; including skin cells. Proper hydration benefits the skin cells from the inside out. Healthy cells require protein and hydration to repair and replenish the surface skin cell supply. Adequate water is a must for healthy skin.

Diet greatly affects skin cell growth and wrinkles. A diet high in fiber, healthy vegetables and lean proteins provides the optimum environment for a body to produce cells of every type. One study done by Monash University in Australia in 2001 examined the diets of 453 people over age 70. This study found that, in general, individuals with a balanced, low-sugar diet containing fish, fruits, nuts and vegetables had less skin wrinkling.

A healthy skin diet should include antioxidant foods that help clean the body of toxins. Foods that contain vitamin A are great for the skin. Vitamin A-rich foods include mangoes, spinach, cantaloupe and sweet potatoes. Egg yolks, leafy green vegetables, seeds, wheat and whole oat grains contain vitamin E to directly benefit skin texture.

Antioxidants also flush toxins from the body. Incorporate foods that are rich in vitamin A in your diet such as sweet potatoes, mangoes, spinach and cantaloupe. Vitamin E also benefits the texture of the skin, so include wheat and oat whole grains, egg yolks, leafy green vegetables, nuts and seeds in your diet for a daily wrinkle-fighting boost.