We can all expect to develop fine lines and wrinkles, thanks to the natural aging process. Plus, external factors like UV exposure, tugging and rubbing at delicate skin, and pollution, all speed up the breakdown of collagen and elastin over time. But what if we told you there was one type of wrinkle that has nothing to do with skincare habits, genetics, or environmental factors? And that you could easily avoid them by changing one single daily habit?
“Sleep wrinkles are created and reinforced during sleep when the face is compressed against a pillow,” cosmetic plastic surgeon Goesel Anson, M.D., explained to YouBeauty. Compression and force cause the delicate skin on your face to stretch, fold, and crease, which result in actual wrinkles. “These wrinkles continue to deepen due to nightly repetition combined with the thinning and increased laxity of the skin as we age.”
Sleep wrinkles can become permanent, after years of getting your shuteye in the same position. Fortunately, though, sleep wrinkles can be avoided if you intervene early with a two-pronged approach.
The main way to prevent sleep wrinkles is to stop sleeping on your side. “The only way to avoid distortion of the face during sleep is to stay off your face,” Dr. Anson noted. Of course, that’s easier said than done — on average, we spend 2/3 of the night sleeping on our side or stomach, she acknowledged. But sleeping on your back not only will let your face rest, but it’ll also the best sleeping position to prevent neck and back pain since it allows your body to maintain a neutral alignment.
Since sleep wrinkles are not a result of muscle movement, but rather mechanical pressure, you’ll need to treat them with surface products to see a difference. For example, a chemical peel is one effective way to improve skin texture and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. We like Exuviance Performance Peel AP25, which uses a blend of acids like glycolic, mandelic and gluconolactone (the same ones you’d find at the derm’s office) to exfoliate dead surface skin and stimulate cell renewal.
Hyaluronic acid is another key ingredient that’ll address sleep wrinkles. This powerful moisture-binding ingredient permeates the skin and actually plumps it up to reduce the appearance of fine lines. You can use hyaluronic acid all over your face, or in a targeted area where sleep wrinkles are specifically a problem, such as under the eyes. Try Exuviance Age Reverse HydraFirm to hydrate, plump and firm the delicate (and easily smushed and wrinkled) skin around your eyes. It also includes peptides and antioxidants to bolster skin against further damage — both from sleep wrinkles and environmental factors.
Sleep wrinkles have the potential to affect anyone who sleeps — and that’s all of us. So start treating them now while making a conscious effort to switch up how you sleep to wake up with smoother, younger-looking skin every morning.
This post is sponsored by Exuviance.
