Why does my skin wrinkle / crease so easily?

[barbidou]

I'm 27. I have a few permanent wrinkles already (forehead and between eyebrows mostly). But my skin seems like it creases or wrinkles really easily - like if I push my cheek up, I get a crease under my eye and it doesn't go away, it stays there for a long time. Seems like my skin has no elasticity or something? Or perhaps it is dehydrated?

The obvious answer is - don't push your face into weird positions - but even making facial expressions, if it is an expression that causes my face to crease, the crease will stay there for ages. With foundation on it's even worse because I then get an obvious line of foundation where the crease is.

I really hope this isn't normal and that there might actually be something I can do to make my face a bit more pliable?!

What do your relatives look like, how do they age? Do you use sunscreen? Do you smoke?
I think these are the big issues to consider, after thinking about them you could look into hydration and anti-aging products?

You're dehydrated then. drink a lot more water and you should see a difference.

My Mum is mid-60s and could probably pass for being in her 40s, my Dad is a bit more wrinkled I suppose and I inherited his complexion (Mum has relatively tanned skin, Dad and I have pale Irish skin which never tans).

I don't smoke. I use sunscreen in the summer months - I have just started putting it on or carrying it in my handbag for the sunny days we have at the moment, but wouldn't put it on if it's an overcast day or in winter. Perhaps that's a mistake?

I wonder if it is dehydration (though I know there is a difference between dehydrated and dry, and am not sure what the difference is...) Despite using lots of oils and moisturiser, my foundation seems to sit on top of my face for a long time after I apply it. After a few hours it looks a lot better, but initially it feels like there is a barrier which stops the foundation from sinking in and looking natural.

Definitely sounds like dehydration - which requires you to drink more water. And not diluted or mixed with anything.

(I say this with some confidence as we have Type II diabetes in the family and have to contend with a complicated drugs regime and frequent reminders about water.)

In fact - try pinching the back of your hand. The skin should flatten back immediately you let go.

I wonder how many of us are now pinching the back of our hands?

Yes to the hand thing

{Glugs water desperately}

Barbidou hydration is a combidation of adding water and humectants (ingredients that attract water), emollients (oils and silicones) and sealing them in with occlusives. Here is a simple diagram of layering.

I drink several litres of water per day but it does not change my skin. Humectants do. They plump up my skin so it looks better and the fine lines disappear. Occlusives seal it in so my skin looks plumper and brighter.

Chemical and mechanical exfoliation take off the top layer of dead cells from your face. This is both good and bad, your face may appear brighter, but because you remove a natural layer of sun protection, you are also more vulnerable to sun damage and other types of skin damage. In my family people don't get awfully lined but we do get a lot of hyperpigmentation - the skin looks speckled up close and that immediately makes anyone look older. Lots of people on MN are experimenting with chemical exfoliation right now, and many are getting good results, but it does not change your skin deeper down. I like it, but in moderation, a couple of times per week.

For permanent changes to your skin, you will have to look into retinoids. They can be fairly intensive (your skin gets much worse before it gets better) so you'll have consider the pros and cons. The most effective ones are prescription drugs for a good reason (side effects include reproductive toxicity) so consulting a dermatologist is a good idea. I am not using them at this point (I'm 42), but might consider them in the future.

Hmm that's all very interesting, thanks! I have only just started paying any attention to my skin at all (used to use various cheap foaming face washes, which gave me lots of dryness and flakes) but I obviously still have a lot to learn.

In the evenings I tend to just use oils (e.g. jojoba or Clarins lotus oil) as I prefer the way these feel on my skin - but it seems from the article that I should be putting some form of humectant underneath the oil.

Back-of-hand-pinch-test doesn't look too bad actually!

Unfortunately, your skin type is very largely inherited.

And despite the claims of the beauty companies there's really not an awful lot you can do to change it. Though you can certainly improve it to look as good as it can get, it still won't be as good as someone who has inherited a really good, clear complexion.

My grandmother had beautiful skin, and always looked much younger than her years. Same with my Mum. She's in her early 70s but has very few lines and could easily pass for 60.

I have luckily inherited their good skin and have passed it on to DD. Other DD hasn't been as fortunate though and has inherited DH's genes giving her a lovely olive skin tone but likely to be prone to spots and break outs.

DH's Mum also looks years older than my Mum, even though she's quite a bit younger.

There's been a lot of focus here on creams etc but what is your diet like? I'm a great believer in 'you are what you eat'.

Sugar is one of the worst things for skin; it creates inflammation within the skin which destroys collagen- google this and see some comments by dermos.

So if you consume a lot of sugary drinks, take sugar in tea and coffee, eat sweets, lots of refined carbs, then you are doing damage to your skin.

Your skin quality needs good fats. These are those found in Omega 3- so avocado, sardines, salmon, eggs, walnuts, almonds, dark green vegetables, olive oil. Skin also needs a bit of good old saturated fat so butter instead of unhealthy margarine, and even some full fat milk without over doing it.

Start feeding your skin from the inside and you ought to be able to use a very simple skincare routine at your age.

Barbidou try something hydrating instead of oils or layer something that contains humectants under them. Don't slap on everything all at once, put on one layer, let it absorb, then the next. I'm not really a big ingredient avoider but I have started watching that I don't overdo it with SLS (often the 'foaming' ingredient in foaming face washes). It's a super efficient cleanser, think dish washing liquid on your face, and may strip away more than you intended. The skin is a complex combination of water, proteins and lipids, and if you damage the lipids (or are born with a defect that makes your lipid mantle weaker and leakier - atopic skin) you will lose water as well. UV radiation directly damages elastin in our skin (think what happens to a swimsuit left out in the sun for weeks) and that is one of the reasons why sun exposure ages skin. So that's another reason why sun protection is important.

I'd try these simple steps first

• use daily sunscreen
• drink a more water
• replace your foaming face wash
• try a hydrating moisturizer (I love gel-like formulas)
• layer oils last
• buy some avocados and nuts and eat more fish

Thanks so much - wonderful tips.

Diet is much better than it used to be - sugary things have been out for a couple of months. I have switched to almonds for snacking and eat salmon maybe once a week, but can see I might need some more good fats in my diet so will work on that.

Hopefully these things will make a bit of a difference to my skin, and if not I should at least be a bit healthier in general!