Growing old is a completely natural process: it is part of life. But what are the causes that lead to wrinkles? How can we treat our skin naturally to keep it moisturised, soft and radiant over time?

The first wrinkles appear around the age of 30 and look like thin furrows in the skin. The areas of the face where they begin to appear are around the mouth, eyes and forehead, the famous frown lines. These are in fact the most mobile areas of our face, the ones that we move the most with all our facial expressions and that make our face expressive and alive.

In this article we will see:

• Wrinkles: what they are and how they form
• The causes of wrinkles
• Traditional Chinese Medicine: Wrinkles and their meanings
• Skin care for mature skin
• How to build a beauty routine

Over time, they thicken, becoming deeper and more visible.

The sagging of tissues does not only affect our face: the skin on the body also becomes less firm and tight over time. The face, however, is the most exposed area of our body, it is our calling card, and keeping it neat and smooth is a concern that grips many, both men and women.

Wrinkles are certainly one of the most democratic imperfections there are: they affect everyone regardless of gender and ethnicity. The first step is definitely to accept them. But we can still do a lot to make our skin beautiful, nourished and moisturised.

Natural skin can be radiant and beautiful at any age of life

To understand how best to treat mature skin, it is necessary to start at the beginning: have you ever wondered why wrinkles appear?

Wrinkles: what they are and how they form

For some, wrinkles are simply a sign of experience and therefore a symbol of wisdom that we should all be proud of.
A wrinkle is in fact a structural change in the skin that results in a visible sign: the furrow. The collagen fibres in the skin deteriorate over the years, causing them to break down, resulting in a loss of elasticity.

To better understand how a wrinkle 'works', it is necessary to delve into the structure of the skin and the three layers that make it up.

The epidermis is the outermost layer of the skin and constitutes a true barrier that has the function of protecting the underlying layers from external agents. Another task performed by the epidermis is to help maintain hydration within it. 
Every four weeks we have a complete renewal of the epidermis, as the cells that make it up have a limited lifespan and, when they die, are replaced by the underlying cells produced in the dermis.

The dermis is the middle layer of the skin. You can think of it as a dense network of collagen and elastic fibres that thins out over time and breaks down in places, causing sagging that then affects the surface, the epidermis.
Causing this chain reaction are the fibroblasts, cells whose task is to produce two proteins that are indispensable for keeping the skin elastic, namely elastin and collagen. When the skin ageing process begins, the number of fibroblasts decreases and consequently the production of elastin and collagen also slows down, which becomes more and more substantial as the years go by.

Finally, the hypodermis is the lower layer of our skin and is largely composed of connective tissue and fat tissue. The continuous turnover of fat cells ensures that the skin maintains its volume. The slowing down of their production causes certain areas of the face to become depleted and, consequently, wrinkles to form.

One of the causes of the formation of wrinkles is therefore the onset of the skin ageing process, but it is not the only factor determining their appearance.

The causes of wrinkles

Can wrinkles appear even before the age of 30? Yes! Age is not the only cause of the changes that occur within our skin and cause wrinkles to appear. Let's take a look at all the causes.

Genetics

Sometimes the premature appearance of wrinkles is just a genetic factor: the hereditary component should not be overlooked. In this sense, observing our parents' faces can tell us a lot about how ours will look in the future. 
In any case, our habits have a greater influence on the appearance of wrinkles and sagging skin than what is written in our DNA. The following paragraphs prove this!

Mimicry

Surely you have heard of frown lines that appear precisely to emphasise the expressions we make most often. This type of wrinkle mainly affects those with a more accentuated facial expression. They are not necessarily related to the age of the skin and can appear as early as your early twenties. Initially, they are only noticed when we assume a certain expression - for instance when we smile - then, as the years go by, they become static, more pronounced and can be seen even when our face is at rest.
Among the best-known frown lines we have the so-called 'thinker's wrinkle' or gabellar wrinkle found at the root of the nose, typical of people who often furrow their brows when concentrating. The dreaded crow's feet also come from the facial expressions we make, particularly when we squint or smile.
There was a time when the only remedy for frown lines was to avoid smiling or frowning too often. Fortunately, today we have many different solutions at our disposal to delay the formation of wrinkles or to minimise those that have already appeared without reducing our spontaneity!

UVA and UVB

Another factor contributing to the formation of wrinkles is the sun, or rather, the damage caused by the sun's rays. The action of ultraviolet rays on the skin causes the collagen and elastin fibres to break down in the long term, affecting, as we have seen, the elasticity of the skin.
That is why the use of sunscreen effective against both UVA and UVB rays is recommended for all ages. And don't forget to spread the right amount of sunscreen on your neck and décolleté as well.

Smoking

Smoking is also closely related to wrinkles. Their appearance on the face of smokers is partly caused by the repetitive movement of the facial muscles each time a cigarette is brought to the lips. The first wrinkles to appear in smokers are those around the lips and usually one side of the face has more pronounced wrinkles: this is due to the fact that smokers inhale using one corner of the lips in preference to the other.
Nicotine, on the other hand, causes the blood vessels in the dermis to contract permanently, thus preventing the skin from accessing the right nourishment. And wrinkles are not the only blemish a smoker has to worry about: smoking makes the skin appear duller and more yellowish, again due to the nicotine that is deposited in the dermis.

Alcohol

What about alcohol? It too is no help if we want to prevent wrinkles! In fact, some types of alcohol, including cocktails, contain a lot of sugar, which is indirectly responsible for altering the structure of collagen and elastin. So, too frequent consumption of alcohol not only has negative effects on our whole body but also causes wrinkles!
Another damage caused by alcohol is the decrease in the level of Vitamin A, a powerful antioxidant. In addition, the skin looks duller and can take on yellowish or greyish tones, not exactly ideal if we want to give the idea of healthy and beautiful skin at any age.

Stress

Yes, stress can also contribute to the premature formation of wrinkles! How? When we are under pressure, our body tends to divert blood flow to the muscles at the expense of the peripheral organs, among which is the skin. Even blemishes such as rosacea and eczema can be caused by stress and how can we not mention our beloved pimples!

The Free Radicals

Lastly, when talking about wrinkles, one cannot fail to mention free radicals. These are waste products that are formed inside cells and can produce so-called oxidative stress that damages fibroblasts and prevents them from performing their valuable task. A good way to balance the production of free radicals is to adopt a diet containing antioxidant foods such as fruit and vegetables or take them in the form of supplements.

In addition to avoiding, as far as possible, to run into one of the harmful behaviors above, we can help our skin to stay young longer by relying on a good skin care! 

Traditional Chinese Medicine: wrinkles and their meanings

Before revealing the products that make up an anti-wrinkle skin care, let us understand what wrinkles mean according to the position in which they appear according to Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Oriental philosophy never ceases to amaze us, even when it comes to wrinkles and meanings. In fact, Traditional Chinese Medicine was the first to attribute a meaning to wrinkles, tracing the position in which they arise to life events or psychosomatic situations that have marked us or are still marking us in a particular way. It is thus that different wrinkles are attributed an energetic and symbolic value that depends on lost balances and imbalances to be corrected. In other words, the different positions in which wrinkles appear on the face also refer to the thought of opposites on which all Chinese philosophy rests, namely the principle of Yin and Yang. What can all this have to do with wrinkles? Eastern sages explain that vertical wrinkles are the expression of Yin, while horizontal wrinkles are the expression of Yang. Moreover, according to Traditional Chinese Medicine, each part of the face corresponds to an organ, so that a physical or emotional stress, which is defined as an energetic disharmony, causes a wrinkle to appear in a specific position, thus symbolised by an imbalance of the corresponding organ.

Now that we have more or less understood the wrinkle-organ relationship, let us look at wrinkles and their meanings individually:

• Forehead and eyebrows: vertical wrinkles, also called glabellar wrinkles, which form from the root of the nose. They are related to the activity of thought and concentration: when we think or are concentrated, we tend to frown and frown. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, they are connected to the small intestine and liver.
  
• Eyes: horizontal wrinkles related to the fear of crying or expressing resentment that appear as a build-up of skin that forms the famous and feared bags under the eyes. When wrinkles appear around the eyes, they are smile-related: when we smile, the eye area is also stimulated, causing the formation of the wrinkles we commonly call crow's feet. On a physical level, the eye area corresponds to the kidneys and gall bladder.
• Cheeks: vertical wrinkles symbolise tension in the mouth and eye muscles. They often symbolise major misunderstandings or worries, which unconsciously lead to contracting the jaw and jaw muscles. In Traditional Chinese Medicine they correspond to the metabolism and the lungs.
• Mouth: Wrinkles in this area occur as vertical wrinkles leading downwards to the corners of the mouth. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, these are wrinkles related to worries, anxieties and other negative feelings that cause stress and are related to blood circulation. 

Traditional Chinese Medicine associates these meanings with the position in which wrinkles appear, but as we saw earlier, the causes of wrinkles are different and can vary from subject to subject.

Anna Magnani, one of the most famous Italian actresses of the post-war period, said to her makeup artist: "Leave me all the wrinkles... It took me forever to make them!". Accepting wrinkles, understanding their meaning and causes are definitely important steps. But how to take care of us at the best of mature skin? We can structure beauty routines ad hoc: this will not make wrinkles disappear but allows us to minimize them, keep the skin relaxed, hydrated and radiant.

The skin care for mature skin

The arsenal of products at our disposal to combat wrinkles is, fortunately, vast and well assorted. On the market there are creams, serums and masks specially formulated to prevent the early formation of wrinkles or minimize existing ones.

When should you start using anti-age products? Usually from the age of 25, although this is not a rule written in stone. Each skin will be treated according to its personal characteristics and there is actually a minimum age to start using some antiage products, if these are respectful of the skin and not very aggressive such as the case of hyaluronic acid, anti-aging par excellence.

In addition, the factors we have seen above speed up skin aging so, if you have a habit of smoking or are often exposed to the sun, it might be the case to anticipate a little 'use of anti -age and include some active antioxidant in your skin-care. 

Pure Active: anti-aging serums par excellence

Speaking of active, Pure Active can be the 'magic' ingredient of any well structured beauty routine and there are several that can do for us if we want to minimize wrinkles and have a healthy, beautiful and bright skin at any age.
One of their features is to be used both pure, and then be applied directly on the face massaging until fully absorbed, or as a booster of moisturizing creams or face serums to enhance even more their anti-aging capabilities.

Among the most popular there is definitely hyaluronic acid: it is an active excellent for plumping the skin and reducing the depth of wrinkles. Just applied gives an immediate tensor effect and, if used consistently, helps the skin to maintain its right degree of hydration. 
But it is not the only active we can turn to! Also Peptides Complex with Sacha Inchi, Ecofermented Activator, Vegetable Collagen are excellent in the fight against wrinkles. If you want to discover these and other amazing actives you can read our article here.

To get the most out of our anti-aging products, we can combine them together and create an anti-aging skin care routine that fits our age and skin type. In fact, for a real anti-wrinkle action you can not appeal to a single product: that’s why it is important to build personalized beauty routines and cut out on your needs, using different products that complement each other, amplifying the potential of the other.

We have for example face that one of the causes of aging is caused by free radicals. In our help can come Vitamin C that acts precisely on free radicals inhibiting their action on cells.

Another cause of wrinkles is the fact that over the years our body produces less elastin and collagen, as we have seen. We can then integrate into our routine a serum capable of stimulating the production of elastin and collagen as Peptides Complex with Sacha Inchi.

A must in every routine antiage that respects will be the face cream with SPF because as we have seen the damage caused by sunlight are among the main causes of aging.

The causes of wrinkles as we have seen are many, so it is good to use more products that address all the aspects that we want to touch. Does this necessarily mean having to use so many products every day?
Not necessarily. We can also choose only a face cleanser, a serum and a cream, to be applied morning and evening.

How to build a beauty routine

To build any beauty routine, from the most complete ones that include all 9 or 11 steps of the Korean skin care, to the most minimal ones that make use of the use of 2 or 3 products, there is always a single rule: starting from the cleansing and apply more and more dense products. First face serums, often light and watery, then face creams, real protagonists of every skin care that respects. 

Don’t know what products are best for you? Here you will find the article that will satisfy all your curiosity about the skin care routine to be adopted to prevent wrinkles! Each face will find a lot of useful information on the inevitable steps to better treat your skin and at the same time protect it against wrinkles! Or you can take our test.