When we think of wrinkles, we often think about the fine lines around the face that comes with aging and facial expressions.
While most wrinkles are commonly caused by intrinsic factors, some are actually caused by external factors. You may even be surprised that some wrinkles are the result of bad sleep habits.
The fine lines caused by sleep are also known as ‘sleep wrinkles’. They develop in response to external pressure when the face is consistently pressed against a surface over many hours. More predominantly, stomach sleepers have it worse as the gravity and the natural curve of the spine press your face onto your sleep surface.
On younger faces, skin is more supple and susceptible to distortions, allowing these fine lines to fade off as you wake. But with age, wrinkles become more stubborn and potentially become permanent with the many nights of repeated pressing.
There have been studies to prove the correlation between age and the severity of wrinkles in response to external influences.
In this article, we will discuss more about what exactly is sleep wrinkles, the causes of it and how are some of the ways to prevent or even treat them.
What Causes Wrinkles?
The first step to preventing these fine lines is to understand how they are formed. Wrinkles often appear when your skin loses collagen and elasticity with age.
Repeated pressure and muscle contraction break down collagen in areas of the skin and force the skin to fold and eventually crack. A simple example is crow’s feet where constant pressure and distortion from facial expressions build up wrinkles over time.
However, let’s not also forget that less heedful lifestyle habits such as frequent sun exposure and smoking do worsen the formation of fine lines. But, we’ll save that topic for another day.
How Does Sleep Lead To Wrinkles?
Imagine this. You spend long hours every night, repeatedly pressing your face onto your face, over many nights. The constant pressure points onto your face cause distortions to your skin. You may probably have seen this in the morning when you wake up to find press lines around your face caused by the pillow.
As your skin ages, these marks build up and slowly become permanent. Your skin loses collagen and the middle dermis layer of your skin begins to thin out and react more severely to external pressure.
As a result, sleep lines occur and permanent sleep wrinkles are formed.
How Are Sleep Wrinkles And Expression Wrinkles Different?
There’s a way to differentiate sleep wrinkles from the other types.
While sleep wrinkles are formed when our face is pressed onto a pillow over a prolonged time, expression wrinkles are created with more rapid and deliberate movement of our muscles such as frowning, smiling and squinting. These fine lines form around areas with frequent muscle contraction such as the mouth and eyes – leading to crow’s feet and smile lines.
Sleep wrinkles are more vertically orientated and are more common on the forehead, eyebrows, cheeks and chin. They look more unnatural and may appear as vertical cracks on the skin, very much like how you’d fold lines may form when your face is getting squashed from the sides.
How Can I Prevent Them?
Now that you’re aware of sleep lines, making minor changes to your sleep habits helps greatly to prevent them. The best time to start preventing them is, of course, tonight.
Tips And Tricks On Preventing Sleep Wrinkles
Use Smooth Pillowcases
Switching pillowcases to smoother ones does help lessen the friction dragging against your face. The main culprit is usually cotton as they have a more rugged surface. You can try switching to silk or sateen-weaved pillowcases with a softer touch. Choose pillows that glide over your face so it’ll lessen any pressure dragging onto your face.
Research has suggested a reduction of 12% wrinkle density over 28 days if you were to go with smoother pillow surfaces.
Sleep On Your Back
There’s a simple logic to prevent sleep wrinkles by sleeping on your back as it stops pressing your face onto the pillow.
Thought It may sound easy but we understand that changing your sleep patterns requires practice and time. You may try out a handy trick of using a rolled-up towel and positioning it on your neck that forces you to sleep on your back.
Otherwise, deploying a special function pillow would be beneficial too. There are pillows designed to lock your head in place as you sleep on your back.
Get Sufficient Hydration
Maintaining good hydration and using moisturising creams are great at managing sleep lines. Keeping your skin hydrated and plumped helps freeze wrinkles and make them less visible.
Get Enough Beauty Sleep
Ironically, the prevention of sleep wrinkles also involves spending more time in bed. A good night’s sleep of 8 hours can help the skin rejuvenate and retain its suppleness.
Be reminded to adhere to all the right sleeping habits mentioned above and it’ll your skin look younger in no time.
What If I’ve Already Started Seeing Sleep Wrinkles?
If you have already started seeing etched lines or visible wrinkles, there’s no need to panic. These fine lines caused by sleep are treatable with laser treatments.
There are a few available laser treatments which can smooth out lines and reverse skin appearance for a younger-looking complexion.
What Treatments Are Available?
Most laser treatments are non-surgical, which translates to safer and quicker results. Results are long-lasting and the treatments can be done for all parts of your face, across most skin types.
At Become Aesthetics Clinic, laser treatments for wrinkles are done by certified medical doctors and they are adept enough to properly assess your skin conditions and recommend the right laser treatment for you.
Here’s A List Of Suitable Treatments For Wrinkles
Fractional CO2 Laser
The Fractional CO2 laser produces fine laser beams to create thousands of micro thermal zones in targeted areas. This triggers your skin’s natural response to produce collagen and improve overall skin texture. The intensity of the laser is adjustable to treat even severe wrinkles.
Derma Fillers
The Derma Fillers are injectable Hyaluronic acids which are known for volume replacement. It’s great to densify areas of the skin to treat fine lines, and sunken areas and even to enhance facial features. Derma Fillers can promote collagen production and skin hydration in the forehead, temple, cheeks and nose.
HIFU
HIFU is an effective, non-invasive treatment suitable for wrinkles and fine lines by using focused ultrasound energy to penetrate deep into the skin layers to stimulate collagen production and tighten the underlying tissues.
This process not only lifts and firms the skin but also smooths out wrinkles, providing a rejuvenated and youthful appearance.
The treatment targets treated areas without damaging the surrounding skin, making it safe with minimal downtime.
Over time, as collagen continues to rebuild, the skin becomes smoother, more elastic, and noticeably firmer, effectively reducing the visibility of wrinkles.
Book A Consultation At A Clinic Near You
At Become Aesthetic Clinic, helping you achieve your desired skin complexion is our top priority. Our clinics are accessible at 3 strategic locations in Central Singapore – Novena, Somerset or City Hall.
Our clinics are equipped with Medical Doctors who can do in-depth assessments of your skin conditions and provide a personalised treatment plan for you without breaking the bank.
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