What To Do When Smile Lines Are Prominent?
Recently I got asked a lot about smile lines aka nasolabial folds. The number 1 question is “What can I do to get rid of my smile lines?”. Since there is an overwhelming interest in this topic, I’ve decided to address these concerns in this blog.
Why Do We Get Smile Lines?
There are many reasons why we get smile lines but the most common factors are:
1. Aging
The 2 major proteins that make up our skin’s dermis (middle layer) are collagen and elastin. Collagen is the protein that gives our tissues strength, structure, and support. It provides firmness to our skin. Elastin is the protein that allows tissues to stretch and bounce back like a rubber band. It gives our skin the flexibility to spring back into place after being stretched and pulled. However, as we age, our skin gradually loses both the collagen and elastin which will lead to thinning and sagging skin that's more prone to wrinkles and fine lines.
2. Daily Facial Expressions
On average, a person can make 10,000 different facial expressions and we do hundreds of facial expressions a day. Imagine a piece of towel. In the beginning, when you fold a fresh new piece of towel and then unfold it, you probably won’t see any creases on that piece of towel. In spite of your best effort not to cause any creases, repetitively folding the same piece of towel at the same spot will eventually cause a permanent crease on that towel. The towel is an analogy to our skin. Majority of the lines on our face are caused by our daily expressions, that's why they are usually called expression lines.
3. Lifestyle
Our everyday lifestyle choices and habits also greatly contribute to how early the signs of aging will pop up on our face. Living a relatively healthy lifestyle may be the answer to delaying those signs a little bit longer. Below are some ways I personally find helpful in combating those dreaded smile lines.
What Can We Do to Prevent and Reduce the Appearance of Smile Lines?
1. Facial Exercises and Massages
Facial Exercises such as face yoga can help with fine lines and wrinkles by toning and strengthening the muscles underneath the skin. Although we cannot prevent the collagen and elastin in our body from depleting and bone density from decreasing, we can proactively build our face muscles through exercises to keep our face fat in place and help prevent skin from sagging. Face massages not only help with relaxation and release tension of the overused muscles but also help promote blood circulation, drain lymphatic fluids and boost our body’s own collagen production. Combining both face yoga and facial massages can surely help iron out those stubborn smile lines.
Below is a playlist of all the face yoga exercises and massages that I have uploaded so far on my Faceyogaholic Youtube Channel that specifically targets the nasolabial fold area. Doing these regularly will definitely help prevent and reduce smile lines.
2. Incorporate Retinol/Retinal into Night Time Skin Care Routine
Retinol and retinal are different forms of vitamin A and both are used as an ingredient in many skincare and cosmetic products. Both retinol and retinal do many wonders to our skin. It helps with collagen production, cell turnover, skin texture, and exfoliation of dead skin cells and clogged pores. All of these anti-aging effects of retinol and retinal are beneficial to a variety of skin concerns: acne and acne scars, dark spots, skin disorders, and stretch marks and wrinkles. However, retinal is believed to be more potent than retinol and can work 11 times faster than the latter and a better option for those with sensitive skin. Nevertheless, it is best to incorporate retinal or retinol into your night time skin care routine as they can make your skin more sensitive to sunlight. If you have to use it during the day, remember to always put sunscreen on top and to avoid the sun as much as possible. Of course if you have any skin concerns, always consult your physician first before using any new products.
I’ve been using the following retinal/retinol products for quite some time and they have greatly improved my skin. The Dr. Different Night Treatment Cream has a slightly thicker and creamier feel than the Medicube Deep Reviving Bakuchiol Retinol Facial Serum. I prefer this one when my skin is on the drier side and needs a little bit more moisturizing. The Medicube Serum is more watery and absorbs into the skin a lot quicker. It gives me a light and refreshing feeling. It is a good one to use during summer days. I use both interchangeably depending how I and my skin feels that night.
FTC Disclaimer: Some links in this guide may be affiliate links. If you purchase a product with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you!
Image Courtesy of AmazonActive Ingredients: Squalane, Retinal (0.1%), Ceramide NP, Sodium Hyaluronate
Image Courtesy of AmazonActive Ingredients: Enriched with Retinal, Encapsulated Retinol, and Niacinamide
3. Lifestyle Choices
I mentioned above that healthy life choices can help delay the aging process. Below are some simple tweeks to add to your daily life that can make a huge impact to slowing the aging process.
Sunscreen: Daily use of sunscreen of SPF 30 or higher can help with reducing aging of skin caused by sun damage.
Stay Hydrated: Stay hydrated both inside and out. Drink enough water and eat enough hydrating fruits and vegetables to maintain skin’s elasticity. On top of that, don’t forget to moisturize your skin both day and night.
Stop Smoking: Nicotine in tobacco breaks down collagen and elastin in the skin and dehydrates both the body and skin leading to unwanted fine lines and wrinkles. In addition, smoking causes many health problems like cancer, respiratory problems, heart disease etc…
Stay Away From Alcohol: Alcohol is a diuretic which makes your body lose a lot of water and nutrients. It also reduces the body's ability to absorb vital vitamins especially vitamin A which cause collagen levels to drop and more pronounced fine lines and wrinkles to appear.
Switch From Side Sleep to Back Sleep: If you’re a side sleeper, you may want to switch to back sleep to proactively prevent creating more wrinkles on your face. With the repeated compression and creasing of your face on your pillow every night, you will eventually create permanent wrinkles and asymmetry to your face. I’ve mentioned this in my previous “TOP 10 GIFT IDEAS TO PUT ON YOUR HOLIDAY LIST” blog and also recommended a useful tool that can help with this problem. Go have a quick read if you haven’t read it before or just need a little refreshment.
If you find this blog useful and it gave you some valuable and helpful suggestions, please don’t forget to share this. Also let me know what other things you’re doing to slow down the aging process. I would love to hear and learn from you as well.
“Wow” Yourself!