Dynamic vs. Static Wrinkles

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This is a guest post by Stacie Morris, a writer for Botox Ottawa. Stacie’s primary concern? Wrinkles, of course! Her favourite treatment is a customized skincare regimen at home (which includes peptide-rich products) and Botox.

Did you know that there are two types of wrinkles on your face? You’ve got dynamic and static wrinkles.

Dynamic Wrinkles
Remember when you were younger, and your facial skin was pretty much smooth all over when you weren’t expressing any emotion at all? When your face was neutral, your skin had no trace of crease or line. But as soon as your facial muscles contracted to allow the conveying of an expression, like smiling and frowning, a wrinkle appeared. When your facial muscles contract, the skin overlying them stretches and creases to accommodate their movement.

Now that you’re older, you’ll probably notice that the wrinkles that only appeared when you formed an expression are now permanent. This is a natural part of the aging process, as your skin can no longer bounce back from the repeated creasing caused by muscle contractions. These creases in your skin, resulting from the contractions of your muscles, are known as dynamic wrinkles.

Areas on your face most prone to dynamic wrinkles are those that are located where your muscles are most active. These tend to be across the forehead (frowning and surprised expressions), between your eyebrows (frowning), and at the outer corners of your eyes (squinting, smiling, laughing, frowning). The area around your eyes is particularly vulnerable to dynamic wrinkles because not only do we use our eyes pretty much at every waking moment, the skin here is far thinner and sensitive and the rest of your face.

Static Wrinkles
Any wrinkles or creases that are visible even when your face is absolutely neutral and at rest are considered static. Static wrinkles are the result of the natural disintegration of essential components in the skin that are responsible for maintaining structural integrity. These include collagen, elastin, and hyaluronic acid, and all deplete with aging. Environmental factors, such as UV exposure, can accelerate disintegration. Neglected dynamic wrinkles left on their own eventually become static wrinkles.

So what can you do about it?

For the best course of treatment, you should first, determine the type of wrinkle you’d like to eliminate or minimize. If it’s dynamic, you may want to consider something that effectively and safely impacts the mobility of the muscles responsible without being dangerous or unnatural. A treatment such as BOTOX can help especially if the wrinkle completely disappears when the skin on either side of it is pulled away from the wrinkle.

Static wrinkles may be effectively treated with something that replaces lost volume and suppleness, such as injectable fillers. Even a customized skincare regimen can help, but make sure it features products containing beneficial ingredients, such as Retin A, peptides, and stabilized Vitamin C (ascorbic acid).

For you poker players out there botox can placed specifically to stop whatever facial expression gives away the hand you have i.e. it can help you maintain a poker face during the poker game.

Aaron Stone MD - Plastic Surgeon Los Angeles
Aaron Stone MD - twitter