Forehead Wrinkles: Why Do We Get Them?

As we get older, one of the first signs of aging for many people is forehead wrinkles. At first, they might only appear when you’re laughing or smiling in a picture, but over time, these lines can become permanent if left unchecked. If you’re wondering how to get rid of forehead wrinkles, you can take comfort in knowing that there are many steps you can take to reduce their appearance.

Causes of Forehead Wrinkles

For many people, the forehead is one of the first places that wrinkles start to appear. You may start noticing lines in your forehead as early as your 20s. While there are several different reasons why forehead wrinkles can occur at any age, some of the most common are listed below.

Excessive Sun Exposure

You’ve probably heard a thousand times how important it is to wear sunscreen to reduce your risk of experiencing skin cancer; there are also aesthetic benefits associated with protecting your skin from sun damage. Unprotected exposure to the sun’s UV rays causes your body’s production of collagen and elastin, two proteins found in the skin that contribute to your skin’s youthful appearance and elasticity, to reduce more quickly than it otherwise would. 

While your collagen and elastin production normally decreases with age, excess sun exposure can speed up this process, causing forehead wrinkles to appear sooner than they otherwise would.

Repetitive Facial Expressions

Making certain facial expressions repeatedly can also cause you to develop forehead wrinkles prematurely. For example, people who regularly raise their eyebrows as a sign of surprise or skepticism perform this motion using the frontalis muscles, which run across the forehead. Repeatedly raising your eyebrows as a regular facial expression can cause horizontal wrinkles to appear in your forehead.

 If you frown regularly or furrow your eyebrows in disapproval, you might notice glabellar lines, which are wrinkles that form between the eyebrows and look like the number 11.

Stress

Experiencing a high level of stress can also contribute to the development of forehead wrinkles. When you experience stress, your skin’s barrier function, or how it protects your body from the outside world, is reduced, which means your skin becomes damaged more easily. As a result, you can lose elasticity and experience increased sun damage, contributing to wrinkles. People who are under significant stress may also furrow their brow more often, leading to the formation of glabellar lines.

Pollution

Exposure to air pollution also tests your skin barrier function and can contribute to the development of a condition called oxidative stress. As a result, your body cannot readily clear out harmful byproducts of natural processes, resulting in premature aging and a host of other health issues. This, in turn, can mean that you notice forehead lines appearing sooner.

Genetics

Fortunately or unfortunately, genetics also plays a role in determining how soon forehead wrinkles appear for you. Wrinkles can be either dynamic, meaning they occur only with movement, or static, meaning they are visible when your muscles are not moving. While dynamic wrinkles can occur at any age, the development of static wrinkles is influenced by genetics. 

Strength of the Facial Muscles

While it’s usually a good thing to have strong muscles, strong facial muscles mean you’re more likely to experience wrinkles. For example, if the purpose of injectable fillers like Botox and Dysport is to immobilize the muscle, preventing wrinkles from forming and causing the muscle to weaken over time, which makes wrinkles less likely to develop in the future. Your facial muscles may become stronger if you make the same expressions repeatedly.

Excess Screen Time

Spending too much time staring at screens can also contribute to the development of forehead wrinkles, particularly if you view screens in a dark environment and find yourself furrowing your brow to concentrate. 

Gravity

As the skin loses elasticity with age, gravity begins to take its toll and can contribute to sagging, drooping skin. As a result, wrinkles are more likely to appear in older skin.

Lifestyle

Your lifestyle also plays an important role in determining when you first notice forehead wrinkles. For example, people who smoke, drink excess alcohol, or do not eat a healthy, well-balanced diet with plenty of fruits, vegetables, and lean protein sources are more likely to experience forehead wrinkles, as these lifestyle choices speed up the process of oxidative stress, which is known to contribute to premature aging.

Types of Forehead Wrinkles

Three types of wrinkles commonly occur in the vicinity of the forehead. 

These include:

• Forehead lines
• Frown lines
• Crows feet

Forehead lines are the horizontal wrinkles that run across the width of your forehead. These wrinkles are associated with expressions of surprise or disbelief. 

By contrast, frown lines, also called glabellar lines or 11 lines, are the wrinkles that occur between the eyebrows. Shaped like the number of 11, these wrinkles are most likely to be noticed when you frown or furrow your brow in concentration or frustration. 

Finally, crow’s feet are lines that extend outward from the corners of the eyes. Crows feet are most noticeable when you smile or laugh, so they are sometimes referred to as laugh lines. Although crow’s feet do not occur on the forehead, the proximity of the forehead to the outer corners of the eyes means that many treatments that can help get rid of forehead wrinkles may also be helpful for crow’s feet. 

How to Get Rid of Forehead Wrinkles

If you’re wondering how to get rid of forehead wrinkles, you’re not alone. Many people are self-conscious about their forehead wrinkles, mainly because they appear so prominently when we smile or laugh, often captured in photos. However, the best way to get rid of forehead wrinkles varies depending on the severity of your wrinkles and what is causing them.

Fine Lines and Superficial Wrinkles

If you’re just starting to notice fine lines and forehead wrinkles, you will likely be able to significantly improve the appearance of your wrinkles by stepping up your skincare routine. The first and most important step is to ensure that you are strict about using sun protection every time you step outside the house. 

That means applying a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 before you head outside and then reapplying every two hours. Remember, sun damage is one of the biggest contributing factors to wrinkles.

Another important step is to start using products designed to benefit aging skin and include topical retinoids or retinol, peptides, and antioxidants. Glycolic acid and vitamin C are also anti-aging ingredients to look for. They can help reduce signs of aging caused by lost elasticity, sun damage, and poor cell turnover.

Keeping your skin hydrated is also crucial, as dry skin shows wrinkles more readily. When your skin is properly moisturized, it plumps up, preventing wrinkles from being as obvious. Hydration starts from the inside out, so make sure you’re drinking plenty of water in addition to applying an appropriate moisturizer to your face.

Static Wrinkles and Deep Creases

People with significant static wrinkles and deep creases won’t turn back time completely, but there are some steps you can take to make your wrinkles less noticeable. In addition to being vigilant about sun protection and focusing on keeping your skin hydrated, as noted above, you may also benefit from products that are designed to reduce the appearance of wrinkles temporarily. For a more permanent solution, patients showing significant signs of aging can benefit from cosmetic procedures such as laser skin resurfacing, radiofrequency treatments, or injections of fillers like Botox or Dysport. 

Facelifts are a type of surgical procedure that can also reduce the appearance of forehead wrinkles and other signs of aging in people who want a long-term solution that will turn back the clock significantly.

Summary

Everyone develops forehead wrinkles eventually, but there are many things to do to prevent wrinkles from showing up sooner than they need. The first and most important step is to stay vigilant about sun protection and wear sunscreen with an SPF factor of 30 or more every time you leave the house, with no exceptions, and reapply regularly. 

Work towards living a healthy, balanced lifestyle that limits junk food, excess alcohol consumption, and smoking, all of which contribute to premature aging. It’s also important to develop a regular skincare routine that includes effective anti-aging products that can reduce the appearance of existing wrinkles and slow the formation of new ones.

Sources:

Skin barrier Function | NCBI 

Variation of Biophysical Parameters of the Skin with Age, Gender, and Body Region | NCBI 

Wrinkles | NCBI