Sleep Wrinkles
True or false: Is my pillow causing wrinkles?
True or false: Is my pillow causing sleep wrinkles?
Sleep wrinkles appear during the night
True: Now, it's obviously not sleep that is behind these lines, but rather the weight of your head on your pillow, which rolls onto its side and creates folds in your forehead. No problem when you're 25 – the skin is still supple and the fold goes away! But with age, the skin loses the naturally present elastin and collagen in your body. The result: skin is less supple and the dermis breaks more easily, meaning that wrinkles come to stay for good. Sleep lines appear on your cheeks, vertically, on the side of your face at the crow's feet or diagonally on your forehead. This is the sleep line, or wrinkle.
My pillow is responsible for my sleep lines
True and false: If you slept on your back with no pillow, you could say goodbye to sleep wrinkles… Given that we all need some comfort to get to sleep – and therefore a soft pillow – and we move around 20 times per night, most of the time without realising, we can see that the humble pillow is a necessary yet not-so-innocent part of our sleep routine. Our tip: use a satin pillowcase which, unlike cotton or polyester, will not leave marks on the skin. Otherwise, wrap your pillow in a satin scarf. Or change your pillow! Some special pillows can help you to sleep on your side while taking the pressure from your head off the front of your face, thus reducing sleep lines.
Once they appear, sleep wrinkles won't go away
False: Hyaluronic acid-based creams can help to preserve your skin's elasticity and fill in wrinkles. Thanks to this powerful ingredient, which can also be administered through injections, the skin is plumped up, volume is restored to the face, the cheeks look rounder and the surface of the skin is smoother. The problem of mature skin that gets marked is also often the result of slower circulation in the skin. When we apply these moisturising creams morning and evening with little circular massaging motions, blood circulation is boosted and the skin gets marked less easily!
My pillow is responsible for my sleep lines
The alarm's sounded, you're knackered and to top it all your pillow's left marks etched all over your face. Follow these tips to avoid unflattering, visible sleep wrinkles.
Pillow creases disappear in a flash when we're young. It's a different kettle of fish, however, as we get older. Our natural elastin and collagen levels drop over the years, meaning the Early Morning Crease Syndrome gets harder to shift! Some dig in their heels - vertical lines on the cheek, crow's feet that seem to reach our ears or diagonal slats across our forehead.
#1 Sleep on your back
Pillow creases are formed when we sleep on our tummy or side. Heads are heavy objects and when we toss and turn or roll over it creases our skin. So the only sure-fire way to avoid creases is to sleep on your back! That said, some of us can't... Which means we'd need to stay still all night long. Not exactly feasible is it? Even so, lying on your back when you nod off, or rolling on to your back if you wake up during the night, will help limit facial tram lines.
#2 A spritz of cold water
Creased skin loves cold water. It zaps signs of tiredness, bags under the eyes and decongests the eye contour. Splashing your face with cold water will revitalise your complexion and get rid of pillow-induced crumpled features.
#3 Massage, tap and rev up your system
One of the reasons we end up with creases is poor circulation. Using small, circular movements, massage your face every morning with a dollop of cream or oil. Finish off by tapping your face, concentrating on your eye contour and cheekbones. Why? It'll boost your blood flow and plump up any creases on your face, giving you beautiful skin.
#4 Hydrate your body, inside and out
When facial skin isn't plumped up, it tends to crease. Drink at least 1.5 litres of water a day to add elasticity - a plump, firm face doesn't crease as much as a dehydrated one! You can give your skin a helping hand by applying a moisturiser morning and night. Opt for a rich cream packed with active ingredients such as hyaluronic acid. You'll wake up to beautiful skin and smoother wrinkles.
#5 Treat yourself to some satin!
Slipping between satin sheets lowers the risk of creases. Satin doesn't leave lines on our skin, unlike polyester or cotton. If you don't want to go the whole hog, you can always cover your pillow with a satin scarf
Pillow creases disappear in a flash when we're young. It's a different kettle of fish, however, as we get older. Our natural elastin and collagen levels drop over the years, meaning the Early Morning Crease Syndrome gets harder to shift! Some dig in their heels - vertical lines on the cheek, crow's feet that seem to reach our ears or diagonal slats across our forehead.
#1 Sleep on your back
Pillow creases are formed when we sleep on our tummy or side. Heads are heavy objects and when we toss and turn or roll over it creases our skin. So the only sure-fire way to avoid creases is to sleep on your back! That said, some of us can't... Which means we'd need to stay still all night long. Not exactly feasible is it? Even so, lying on your back when you nod off, or rolling on to your back if you wake up during the night, will help limit facial tram lines.
#2 A spritz of cold water
Creased skin loves cold water. It zaps signs of tiredness, bags under the eyes and decongests the eye contour. Splashing your face with cold water will revitalise your complexion and get rid of pillow-induced crumpled features.
#3 Massage, tap and rev up your system
One of the reasons we end up with creases is poor circulation. Using small, circular movements, massage your face every morning with a dollop of cream or oil. Finish off by tapping your face, concentrating on your eye contour and cheekbones. Why? It'll boost your blood flow and plump up any creases on your face, giving you beautiful skin.
#4 Hydrate your body, inside and out
When facial skin isn't plumped up, it tends to crease. Drink at least 1.5 litres of water a day to add elasticity - a plump, firm face doesn't crease as much as a dehydrated one! You can give your skin a helping hand by applying a moisturiser morning and night. Opt for a rich cream packed with active ingredients such as hyaluronic acid. You'll wake up to beautiful skin and smoother wrinkles.
#5 Treat yourself to some satin!
Slipping between satin sheets lowers the risk of creases. Satin doesn't leave lines on our skin, unlike polyester or cotton. If you don't want to go the whole hog, you can always cover your pillow with a satin scarf
Anti-ageing massages will kiss goodbye to wrinkles - fast
Want a quick, easy way to fight against the sign of ageing skin? Simply warm up your fingers and give yourself a facial massage - no creams or injections required!
Anti-ageing massage to firm up your facial contours
The aim? To stretch and define the oval of the face, which is prone to sagging and loss of tone. Place your palms on either side of your cheekbones and smoothe out towards the edge of your face. Hold for a few seconds. Repeat five times. The next step is to work the lower part of the face to avoid a double chin: place your tongue against the roof of your mouth, pull it back and contract for a few seconds. This relaxes the face and restores tone.
Anti-ageing massage to smooth frown lines
The aim? To minimise the furrows between our eyebrows that can give us a stern look. If your frown lines are vertical, smoothe them out horizontally using your index fingers, working out from the middle of your eyebrows. Repeat six times. If your frown lines are horizontal, place your index fingers between your eyebrows, apply a light pressure and smoothe up your forehead. Repeat six times. This is one to do before going to bed - it will relax your face and help you unwind for a good night's sleep.
Anti-ageing massage to tone the cheeks
The aim? Tone up cheek muscles that tend to sag and hollow out with age. Open your mouth, jut out your lips and open your eyes as wide as you can. Then gently apply pressure to your cheeks, working from right to left, up and down and along the lines that run from your nostrils to the outer edges of your lips. Finish of by slowly bringing your lips back into position. Try to do this two to six times a day, for 30 seconds at a time. You may feel a bit daft, but you'll soon see how well it tones up your cheeks.
Article supplied & written by Marie Claire, part of Hearst Communications, Inc.
Anti-ageing massage to firm up your facial contours
The aim? To stretch and define the oval of the face, which is prone to sagging and loss of tone. Place your palms on either side of your cheekbones and smoothe out towards the edge of your face. Hold for a few seconds. Repeat five times. The next step is to work the lower part of the face to avoid a double chin: place your tongue against the roof of your mouth, pull it back and contract for a few seconds. This relaxes the face and restores tone.
Anti-ageing massage to smooth frown lines
The aim? To minimise the furrows between our eyebrows that can give us a stern look. If your frown lines are vertical, smoothe them out horizontally using your index fingers, working out from the middle of your eyebrows. Repeat six times. If your frown lines are horizontal, place your index fingers between your eyebrows, apply a light pressure and smoothe up your forehead. Repeat six times. This is one to do before going to bed - it will relax your face and help you unwind for a good night's sleep.
Anti-ageing massage to tone the cheeks
The aim? Tone up cheek muscles that tend to sag and hollow out with age. Open your mouth, jut out your lips and open your eyes as wide as you can. Then gently apply pressure to your cheeks, working from right to left, up and down and along the lines that run from your nostrils to the outer edges of your lips. Finish of by slowly bringing your lips back into position. Try to do this two to six times a day, for 30 seconds at a time. You may feel a bit daft, but you'll soon see how well it tones up your cheeks.
Article supplied & written by Marie Claire, part of Hearst Communications, Inc.
