Wrinkles. It's easily our least favorite 'W' word in existence - and for good reason. As time moves forward it's inevitable that we'll see its effects showing up in certain places. Today we're going to talk a little bit about wrinkles and offer some expert advice on what you can do to decrease their appearance.

What are Wrinkles?

To put it simply: wrinkles are creases, folds, or ridges in the skin. They can happen for any number of reasons (we'll talk more about that in a moment), but it's important to know that wrinkles are a natural part of the aging process. Over time the skin gets thinner, drier, and less elastic - meaning the skin is less able to protect itself from damage which leads to wrinkles, creases, and lines on the skin.

Types of Wrinkles

There are five types of wrinkles. We define each of them below along with the best treatment methods for each.

EXPRESSION WRINKLES

Also known as laugh, smile or frown lines. This type of wrinkle can be light or deep. They typically arise anywhere on the face where you make expressions like around the mouth, between the brows and the outer corners of the eyes. They are caused by repetitive facial movements, like smiling and laughing.

How to treat: Look for products containing SNAP-8, otherwise known as liquid botox. Products containing this ingredient helps to reduce the depth of expression lines over time.

Elastic Wrinkles

Elastic wrinkles are tiny creases that form on the cheeks, lips and neck and are a direct result of too much sun exposure.

How to treat: Preventative measures are key with elastic wrinkles. Be sure to always apply proper SPF year round to prevent sun damage and premature aging due to UV exposure.

Compression Wrinkles

They can appear on the face, neck and chest in the morning from sleeping. Some may disappear throughout the day while some stick around longer.

How to treat: Side and/or stomach sleepers most commonly deal with compression wrinkles. Use a silk pillowcase and body pillow against your chest at night to reduce the level of compression (if you are a side sleeper). Modify your sleeping style to reduce compression wrinkles.

Gravitation Wrinkles

Gravitation wrinkles can appear anywhere on the face and are a result of the loss of collagen and elastin both from natural aging and sun damage.

How to treat: Gravitation wrinkles are a result of gravity acting as a downward force on the skin coupled with the loss of collagen and elastin. Microcurrent treatments coupled with RF (Radio Frequency) will help to tone the muscles of the face and provide lifting of the skin to reduce these types of wrinkles.

Atrophic Wrinkles

Deep parallel lines on the forehead that appear when the eyebrows are furrowed. As with gravitation wrinkles, atrophic wrinkles worsen over time due to the loss of collagen and elastin in the skin.

How to treat: Holistic methods like Gua Sha and Jade Rollers may help reduce the appearance of atrophic wrinkles, depending on severity. You'll also want to look into skincare containing peptides like Matrixyl that promote collagen and elastin synthesis over the long term. For deeper atrophic wrinkles, facial fillers are also an option.

To promote healthy collagen and elastin synthesis, XO8 Placenta Stem Cell Serum, Neck, Eye and Lip Masks all contain peptides designed to promote collagen and elastin synthesis as well as reduce the appearance of expression lines over time.

A home regimen of preventative skin care coupled with treatments like microcurrent and RF will help you maintain that youthful, radiant glow.