Simply put, forehead wrinkles are a reality we'll all have to face at some point, thanks to the natural aging process. When wrinkles happen, the severity of which they occur comes down to many factors, including things such as facial movement, age, genetics, sun exposure, pollution, stress and loss of collagen and elastin. What you do - if anything - when these lines on the forehead area start to debut is totally up to you. To help you decide, we're taking a deep dive with help from Geetha Kalahasti, Associate Principal Scientist of Upstream Research, Clinical Research and Scientific Credentialing at Mary Kay.
What causes forehead wrinkles?
Forehead wrinkles are horizontal lines across your forehead that first appear when you are actively making facial expressions. Facial expressions - such as squinting, smiling, raising the eyebrows - occur when facial muscles contract. Because the muscles are attached to the overlying skin, the movement causes expression or dynamic lines to appear.
When we're younger, these dynamic lines and creases disappear when our faces are at rest. But over time, the repetition of movements imprints wrinkles permanently on the skin. These wrinkles are known as static wrinkles and are visible even when our faces are at rest.
The many years of repeated movements - and the natural aging process - lead to a decrease in collagen production and elastin production in the skin, resulting in reduced skin elasticity and deeper, more visible fine lines, creases and folds. Additionally, exposure to environmental stressors such as UV radiation from the sun and pollution, plus lifestyle factors such as smoking and poor hydration, can accelerate the timeline and severity of forehead lines by damaging the skin's structure and promoting premature skin aging. Overall, a combination of intrinsic aging processes and external factors play a role in the appearance of forehead wrinkles. There is no one-size-fits-all.
Can forehead wrinkles be prevented?
Forehead wrinkles - and all the other fine lines and wrinkles, for that matter - are inevitable. Though you can't prevent them from ever appearing, you can help delay the onset and severity of forehead wrinkles that result from lifestyle factors.
In fact, only 20% of most visible skin aging is from the natural aging process. Seriously! That means each day there are key steps you can take to help protect your skin from the world around you and minimize the appearance of forehead wrinkles.
Daily sun protection in the form of
SPF is an absolute must to help protect skin from harmful UV rays that can accelerate the aging process and contribute to wrinkles. Keeping your skin well-hydrated with a
moisturizer suited to your skin type is another must as it can improve its elasticity and reduce the appearance of wrinkles.
Additionally, maintaining healthy lifestyle habits such as a balanced diet, proper hydration, regular exercise, getting enough sleep and managing stress can contribute to overall skin health and help keep your skin looking its best longer. Being aware of your frequency of making facial expressions can also help, but around here, we believe in expressing ourselves and think you should feel confident doing so!
Are professional treatments my best option?
Injections and other professional treatments commonly come to mind when thinking about how to help the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles - especially on the forehead. Some injection treatments work as powerful neuromodulators to relax and prevent muscle movement for a period of time. As a result, wrinkles appear smoother. While the effects can be seen quickly, the results are temporary. In order to continue seeing results, you must keep receiving injection treatments, typically every three to four months.
Alternatively, at-home, topical options do exist and are a recommended approach to improving the appearance of forehead wrinkles before jumping to injection treatments. Topical cosmetic options require commitment and consistent use to see noticeable results. However, they're a less aggressive first step to addressing the appearance of any wrinkles you wish to improve.
SUPPORT SKIN’S NATURAL COLLAGEN AND ELASTIN.
A great way to help address the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles is to support the skin's natural production of collagen and elastin. Incorporating topical products with concentrated doses of key ingredients such as vitamin C, retinol and glycolic acid into your daily skin care routine is one way to gradually help reverse visible skin aging while preventing signs of aging you can't see yet.
IMMEDIATELY FILL IN DEEP WRINKLES.
For a more immediate approach, topical products can help visibly plump the appearance of wrinkles on the surface of your skin. Hyaluronic acid, an increasingly popular powerhouse humectant, acts as a moisture magnet and is known to bind more than 1,000 times its weight in water. Adding a product with hyaluronic acid into your routine can help keep skin looking plump and healthy.
IMPACT THE SOURCE OF WRINKLE FORMATION.
A final approach for improving the appearance of forehead wrinkles is to target the source of their formation - facial expressions. That's right: Topical skin care options can help minimize the impact of the constant strain of facial expressions on the skin that cause dynamic wrinkles. Look for products designed to mimic the effects of wrinkle-relaxing injection treatments for a pain-free approach to visibly reduce lines and smooth wrinkles.
Ready to target wrinkles topically?
Contact your Independent Beauty Consultant to find the right wrinkle products for your skin's needs. Don't have a Beauty Consultant yet? Find your perfect fit here.
Geetha Kalahasti, Associate Principal Scientist of Upstream Research, Clinical Research and Scientific Credentialing at Mary Kay, has a passion for science and loves skin care. She enjoys designing spaces and spending time with her two sons and fur child – Yogi Bear. Her go-to products are TimeWise® Moisture Renewing Gel Mask and the Mary Kay Clinical Solutions® Retinol 0.5 Set.
Molly McGonigal is a writer at Mary Kay who is alliteration-obsessed and loves a good dress. Her current Mary Kay® skin care faves are TimeWise® 4-in-1 Cleanser and TimeWise Replenishing Serum C+E®.
†Based on an independent clinical bioinstrumentation study of 33 women after using the product twice per day for eight weeks.
*Based on an independent clinical bioinstrumentation study of 10 women who received a by-appointment wrinkle-limiting treatment
