How to Prevent Wrinkles in 10 Different Ways

Now more than ever, people are trying to get a jump start on preventing wrinkles at an earlier age. By practicing good lifestyle and skin care habits now, you’ll get a big payoff in years to come with beautiful, glowing skin that shows fewer lines, wrinkles and brown spots. It’s a fact that preventing visible skin aging is far easier and less expensive than getting rid of it once it appears. In this post, you’ll learn ten easy tips you can start following at any age to prevent wrinkles for a long-lasting youthful appearance!

How should I be caring for my skin to prevent wrinkles and slow down visible aging?

1. Re-assess any prescription medications that you may be taking orally or applying to your skin.

The most common medications for the skin are:

• Oral antibiotics for clearing acne
• Topical creams and gels for clearing acne
• Birth control pills

Prescription retinoids for clearing blemishes (these can also help with wrinkle prevention by improving the skin’s texture). As you get well into your 20s, all of these medications (except the prescription retinoids) could be negatively affecting the appearance of your skin. Dryness, irritation or pigmentation are all common side effects, and these are never good for your skin’s health—or in your quest to prevent wrinkles.

You may have outgrown your acne, and oral or topical medication may no longer be needed.

2. For wrinkle prevention, don’t get caught in the cycle of over-drying your skin.

Often heard is, “My skin can get dry so I need a good moisturizer that won’t cause me to break out.” Sound familiar? The first question in response to that question is always “Why is your skin feeling so dry?” It’s usually because someone is exfoliating way too much or using a drying cleanser and damaging their skin’s protective barrier. Your skin cells are like fish and need water to live, so you don’t want to be putting the skin in an unhealthy state by using harsh products.

Dry, damaged skin is more prone to developing early signs of visible aging, so your approach to treating adult breakouts needs to be different than the strategy you would’ve used as a teenager. If you’re still getting breakouts, there are gentle ways to keep your skin clear that won’t cause damage to your protective barrier. Using a hydrating acne mask can be incredibly effective (yes, shocking I know. There is such a thing as an acne mask that actually hydrates!). Or better yet, use a duo peel/mask every week to really get adult breakouts under control while simultaneously preventing wrinkles.

3. To prevent wrinkles, get to know your skin type and use products exclusively for your needs and goals.

For most people, your skin acts way different now than when you were younger. It’s important to keep evolving your skin routine as your skin changes in order to get the desired results. If you’re still thinking you need to put your skin into the standard dry, normal and oily skin types, it’s time that you think about your skin in a new way. It can be hard to find a routine that works in harmony to give your skin the perfect balance, but it is possible. Your skin changes every decade and you need to know the best way to care for it. I have developed nine skin types that I believe truly reflect the real-world needs of peoples’ skin.

4. Be mindful of how you sleep so you can prevent wrinkles from appearing.

It’s thought that after sun exposure, the second cause of wrinkles is from sleep. Specifically, the position of your face on your pillow at night can make a difference. Side sleepers will have creases on their chest known as “sleep cleavage”. On the face, I can see a vertical line that has formed in the area where their nose and cheek meet (more often on men). For back sleepers, you’ll see deeper horizontal lines on the neck from this area being squished with the chin pushing down.

I know many of you think that you can’t really control your position once you sleep, but I challenge you to think differently. I believe that your subconscious can control it if it’s really important to you. There are also special sleep pillows that can force you to stay in a certain position, so you might consider those.

5. For wrinkle prevention, get serious about your sun protection—365 days a year, rain or shine, inside or out.

How to help wrinkles not come on as quickly? Sunscreen, when applied generously during your morning skin care routine and then reapplied as needed, is the MOST effective way to prevent wrinkles. Daylight and sunlight (even when coming through windows) are causing a considerable amount of DNA damage to your skin without you even realizing it. Many people are still not making sunscreen use an everyday habit.

The reason is usually that they can’t find a proper sunscreen that is compatible with their skin type since many sunscreens can feel heavy or clog the pores. I’m here to tell you that sunscreens have come a long way. There are many great formulas available that won’t feel greasy or cause breakouts. It’s so important to find a sunscreen that you’ll actually enjoy wearing day in and day out. This way, you’ll actually use it and you can feel confident that you’re using the best, most effective “wrinkle cream” on the planet. 

Preventing visible skin aging is far easier and less expensive than getting rid of it once it appears.

6. To prevent wrinkles, treat your neck as an extension of your face.

To my younger readers: thanks to research and greater awareness of what causes skin aging, you have access to a lot more knowledge about how to prevent wrinkles than your mother did. Embrace it! That being said, you face a challenge your mother probably didn’t face. Looking down at a cell phone all day is not helping you prevent neck aging. You may have heard the term “tech neck” before.

The idea is that the 45-degree angle at which you hang your head to look at your cell phone causes a repeated squishing of the neck, resulting in premature folds and wrinkles (similar to what happens to back sleepers). When it comes to aging, the neck is at a disadvantage to begin with since there is less bone structure to support the skin that in the face. This will all lead to eventual sagging. In your quest to prevent wrinkles, you want to pay attention to how you care for your neck.

Treat your neck as its own area.

Don’t make the mistake of treating your neck as an afterthought. For example, a person will typically rub moisturizer onto his or her face, and then whatever is leftover on the fingertips will be brought down onto the neck. Sound familiar? While the intention is good, it’s truly not helping that much in the quest for keeping the skin on the neck tight and smooth. You must apply your skin care products to the neck in the same way you would apply them to the face and treat it as a separate, second application.

Apply sunscreen to the neck generously.

Just like the face, sunscreen needs to be applied generously in order to offer full sun protection and prevent wrinkles. The best way to apply sunscreen to the neck is by doing a full, second application once you’ve covered your face. You must be thorough in your application in order to get actual protection from harmful UV rays.

Learn how to care for the neck and chest. You don’t want to forget about the chest either since this area gets tremendous amounts of sun damage.

7. How to prevent wrinkles around the eyes? Start using an eye cream and under-eye exfoliator NOW.

Did you know that the eye area is the first area to age due to wear and tear from smiling, squinting and rubbing? Keeping it hydrated and nourished is essential for preventing premature lines and wrinkles. It’s important to know that eye creams don’t need to be heavy and greasy to work. In fact, the heavier they are, the more they could actually be causing wrinkles. This can happen when oils seep into the eyes and cause puffiness, which can stretch out the skin and weaken elasticity.

• Choose a nourishing eye cream with skin-firming peptides. The skin under the eyes gets weak easily, so you want an eye cream that does more than just moisturize. Ingredients like peptides help support the skins’ structure to keep it intact. 
• Use a lighter weight eye cream under makeup in the morning. When the eyes are looking tired in the morning, it’s beneficial to use an eye care product that not only helps to prevent wrinkles but also encourages less puffiness and darkness. 
• Be sure to exfoliate under the eyes to smooth away dryness. If the skin under your eyes is dry and looks uneven, gentle exfoliation will make a huge improvement. Plus, your eye care products will work more efficiently when they don’t have to try and break through dry skin cell buildup.

8. Use a product with retinol or a prescription retinoid. Aside from sunscreen, this is the most effective product to prevent wrinkles.

Hands down the most tried and true, biologically-proven topical anti-aging ingredient is Vitamin A, also known as retinoid or retinol. As mentioned above, consider yourself lucky if you have been using it since your teens or 20s for acne. However, if you’ve never used a Vitamin A product before, you should really start using a non-prescription retinol product. If you are in your 20s and start consistently using a retinol product now, then you should never have to switch over to a stronger prescription.

The idea is that you’re getting ahead of your wrinkles by using it preventatively, and consistency is almost always more important than potency. Someone in their 50s who already has sun damage may need to start with a prescription immediately to achieve more dramatic results and then manage the side effects of dryness.

9. Use a Botox-free alternative for preventing forehead and between-the-brow wrinkles.

It’s frequently asked all the time by people in their 20s, “Do you think I should start getting Botox to prevent wrinkles? I’m starting to notice a crease. Is Botox safe?” I generally don’t think it’s a good idea for most people in their 20s to start getting Botox unless it’s needed. However, I do believe it’s perfectly safe (and Botanica offers Botox units every month!)

10. Put your skin in the hands of a professional.

While using a good home-care routine designed for your specific skin type is essential, your skin will greatly benefit from additional care with professional treatments like facials, micro needling, and chemical peels. These can all help prevent wrinkles. Not only are you getting a skin treatment that will target your wrinkle concerns, but you’ll also be getting guidance from an expert. They can guide you on how to care for your skin at home in between your visits. When people attempt to go it alone, they often get confused and end up using a routine that isn’t delivering the results they need.

Botanica Day Spa Anti-Aging Treatments

So there you have it. These ten things to start doing NOW to prevent wrinkles will truly set you up for a lifetime of healthy, beautiful skin. Trust me when I say, don’t just rely on good genetics to carry you through. Good habits are EVERYTHING. And of course, receiving a monthly professional facial will always help you prevent wrinkles by giving your skin the care and attention it needs to stay youthful and glowing for decades to come!

Contact Botanica today and we’d be happy to book your appointment at 727-441-1771.

Love,

Gen