With age, skin condition has become the focus of many people’s attention. Among the many signs of ageing on the face and neck, there are three lines that are the most common and most likely to make people look tired. They are neck lines, eye lines and decree lines. Due to the causes of these three lines and the structural characteristics of the skin, the means of prevention and delay also need to be targeted. This article will disassemble the formation mechanism of these three lines in detail from the perspective of actual skin care and medical common sense, and provide specific and operational prevention plans.
1. The Core Cause of Neck Wrinkles
The formation of neck lines is mainly divided into two types: one is congenital physiological horizontal lines, and the other is the deepening lines caused by bad living habits. From an anatomical point of view, below the skin of the neck is the distis muscle. When the muscles contract or the skin folds repeatedly, lines will form. In modern society, people look down at their mobile phones for a long time and work in ambush, resulting in the skin of the neck being folded for a long time, which is the main external reason for the deepening of the neck lines of young people. In addition, ultraviolet irradiation leads to collagen loss, daily skin care neglects the neck, and the natural relaxation of the skin with age will make the neck wrinkles deeper and more obvious.
1.1 How to Effectively Prevent Neck Wrinkles
Since the skin on the neck is fragile and easy to be ignored, the core of prevention is to care for the neck like caring for the face.
First, change your posture habits. Minimise the time to look down at the mobile phone, and try to raise the mobile phone or reading materials to a position level with the line of sight. Adjust the height of the computer screen when working and keep the neck upright. When sleeping, the choice of pillow is also very important. Too high a pillow will make the neck be bent all night. It is recommended to choose a pillow that can support the physiological curve of the neck.
Second, strictly protect from the sun. When applying sunscreen, don’t forget the back of the neck, the front and the collarbone area. Ultraviolet rays are one of the culprits that destroy the elastic fibres of the skin. Long-term exposure to the sun will make the neck skin loose and aggravate the lines.
Third, moisturise and nourish. When using facial skin care products every morning and evening, it should be extended to the neck. Moisturising products containing ceramide, squalane, hyaluronic acid and other ingredients can be used to enhance the skin barrier function of the neck. For dry lines that have been formed, moisturising care can play a certain role in lightening.
Fourth, avoid too much cleaning. The water temperature should not be too high when taking a shower. Too hot water will wash away the oil on the surface of the neck skin, resulting in dryness. Try to wash the neck with strong degreasing bath products as little as possible.
2. Types and Causes of Eye Lines
Eye lines are not a single one. They are usually divided into three types: dry lines, dynamic lines and static lines.
Dry lines are mainly temporary lines caused by lack of water and oil and moisture in the skin around the eyes, which are usually relieved after hydration.
Dynamic lines, also known as expression lines, are the lines that appear when making expressions such as smiling and squinting, which are mainly related to the contraction of the eye wheel muscle. When you are young, the skin will bounce back after muscle contraction, but with age or photoaging, the elasticity decreases, and the dynamic lines will gradually solidify.
Static lines are lines that can be clearly seen without any expression, which usually means that the collagen and elastic fibres of the dermis have been broken, which is an irreversible sign of ageing.
2.1 Targeted Prevention of Eye Lines
The prevention of eye lines needs to start from the aspects of reducing physical friction and supplementing nutrition in a targeted manner.
First, gently remove makeup and clean. The removal of eye makeup is a severe disaster area that leads to pulling around the eyes. It is recommended to use a special eye and lip makeup remover. After fully infiltrating the cotton pad, apply it to the eyes for 10-15 seconds, let the makeup dissolve naturally, and then gently erase it. Do not wipe it back and forth vigourously.
Second, use eye cream early. Eye cream is not a patent for mature skin. Around the age of 20, you can start using a refreshing eye cream that focusses on moisturising and anti-oxidation. When applying, apply with your ring finger (with the least force), and gently press from the outer corner of the eye to the inner corner of the eye to avoid pulling.
Third, pay attention to sun protection and photoaging. The skin around the eyes has a weak resistance to ultraviolet rays. Wearing sunglasses is not only fashionable, but also an important physical means of sun protection. It can prevent the squinting caused by strong light, thus reducing the generation of dynamic lines and blocking ultraviolet damage.
Fourth, control your expression and routine. Although you don’t have to give up smiling to prevent wrinkles, you can consciously avoid the habitual exaggerated expression. In addition, lack of sleep will lead to poor blood circulation around the eyes, aggravating dark circles and swelling, which will also accelerate the formation of eye lines in the long run.
3. The Composite Cause of Decree Lines
The formation mechanism of decree lines is relatively complex, usually not caused by a single factor, but the result of the joint action of skin separation and bone absorption.
One is the skin type. That is, simple skin relaxation and ageing cause the skin to fall in the apple muscle area and form accumulation above the nasolabial groove, which deepens the groove.
The second is the fat type. Too much facial fat, or the cheekbone fat pad moves down due to gravity, squeezing the nasolabial groove, forming a deep line.
The third is the skeletal type. This is the most fundamental cause of ageing. With age, the maxillary bone (around the pear-shaped foramen) will gradually be absorbed and atrophied, and the support of the bone for the upper tissue will weaken, resulting in the relative excess of the soft tissue above and drooping, and the fine lines will naturally appear.
3.1 How to Delay the Deepening of Fine Lines
Prevention of fine lines cannot only be relied on by applying skin care products, because it involves deep organisational structure and requires internal and external combination.
First, the core is support and lifting. In daily skin care, the use of products containing anti-ageing ingredients such as retinol (A alcohol), bosein, peptide, etc. can stimulate collagen production and make the skin firmer, thus slowing down the rate of relaxation. When applying face cream, it can be combined with simple lifting techniques: gently slide the knuckles from both sides of the nose wing to the oblique upwards (in front of the ear) to help relieve muscle tension.
Second, control your facial expression habits. Frequent and exaggerated pouting, sucking cheeks and other actions will constantly fold the skin in the nasolabial gis and deepen the lines.
Third, maintain a stable weight. In the short term, violent fluctuations in weight (especially extreme weight loss) will lead to facial fat loss and skin sagging, making wrinkles look more obvious. Maintaining a stable weight and a healthy body fat percentage helps to maintain the fullness of the face.
Fourth, pay attention to oral care. Missing teeth and atrophy of the alveolar bone can also affect the support structure of the lower part, indirectly aggravating the lines and peri-oral ageing. Maintaining dental health is also a contribution to the prevention of facial ageing.
FAQ
Q: Can massage and lifting instruments eliminate fine lines?
Moderate massage can promote circulation, relieve oedema, and have an immediate improvement effect on temporary indentations caused by early swelling. However, the wrinkles are mainly caused by bone absorption and the downward movement of the fat pad, and it is impossible to resist the gravity of the earth by hand alone. Home beauty instruments (such as radio frequency, microcurrent) can provide a temporary lifting effect, and long-term persistence can delay relaxation. It should be noted that excessive or wrong massage may aggravate the lines.
Q: I have neck wrinkles when I’m young. Can it be improved?
Can. First of all, it is necessary to distinguish the type: if it is a congenital horizontal line, it is difficult to remove it completely, but moisturising sunscreen can make it lighter; if it is a deepened line with the habit of bowing the day after tomorrow, correcting posture and strengthening nursing can effectively fade it; if it is a black longitudinal line, it is mostly related to obesity or heredity, which needs to be improved through weight loss or medical beauty. Either way, from now on, sun protection, moisturising and adjusting posture can prevent it from continuing to deteriorate.