Avoid these facial movements to prevent wrinkles & ‘fine lines’

From laughing to smiling, frowning, scrunching up the nose, or crinkling your eyes, facial movements are a normal part of life.

However, if repeated excessively these normal facial movements can lead to wrinkles, especially when we age and when the skin begins to lose its elasticity and flexibility.

Shared here is some professional advice to ensure your facial expressions don’t cause fine lines and wrinkles which are creases on your skin and a natural part of ageing.

Speaking to the Express Dr Hiba Injibar at Harley Street's Dermasurge Clinic reveals some of the worst facial movements for fine lines, wrinkles, and furrows in the brow.

The doctor also recommends ways to help reduce the appearance of these lines, even though an individual may be repeatedly frowning or laughing.

According to Dr Injibar, squinting is one of the worst facial movements for wrinkles.

She is quoted as saying, "When you squint, the facial muscles are continually contracting inwards, causing wrinkles on the top of your nose and fine lines around the inner corners of your eyes.

"There is a higher chance of this if you have a lot of unprotected exposure to the sun or struggle with your eyesight.

"As the first step to reduce squinting, protect your eyes with sunglasses when you are outdoors in hot weather to prevent squinting. If there is a problem with clear vision, book in for an eye test with an optometrist, who can advise the right prescription."

Dr Injibar also explains that a smile that sags can also cause wrinkles, especially in the area near the mouth. She reportedly said, "Facial ageing occurs because the lower muscles are pulled down every time you smile, causing fine lines to develop around the sides of your mouth."

She continues, "A sagging smile is also common when you chew food when the cheeks and corners of the mouth are moving downwards. The solution is simple - don’t half-heartedly smile.

"If you are really struggling with a sagging smile, speak to an aesthetic doctor who can recommend fillers to fill the volume loss or Botox which can be used to relax the muscle."

She goes on to say that "repetitive pouting, from smoking or drinking through a straw, can result in barcode lines that run vertically down into the top lip."

"By repetitive puckering, these wrinkles can become deeply ingrained into the skin and cause fissures that ruin an otherwise smooth complexion."

She explains. "When they deepen, they become noticeable within every facial expression, including smiling which is meant to lift the skin upwards. Smokers' lip lines worsen with age, particularly after a person reaches their early 50s, due to the skin losing volume and elasticity over time.”

Dr Injibar also warns against the facial expression of being shocked or surprised regularly. "Surprise or shock is typically expressed by raising the eyebrows, opening the eyes so that the upper lid is raised, and the lower lid is drawn down.

"The eyebrows and the forehead are connected, so when you lift your eyebrows in shock or surprise, horizontal lines can appear across the forehead, causing frown lines. Again, frown lines will only appear if you are repeatedly using this expression.

"Instead of lifting your eyebrows in shock or surprise, simply widen the eyes instead to display your emotion, keeping the eyebrows neutral."

Lastly, Dr Injibar adds that confusion too can lead to unwanted lines. She reportedly said, "When you're confused, you often scrunch up your nose and forehead, with one eyebrow raised higher than the other. You may also purse your lips together.

"This expression is most noticeable around your eyes and nose. When we raise one eyebrow, the frontalis muscle pulls up the skin of our forehead and creates frown lines.

"As well as this, tiny wrinkles may form on the outer corner of your eye, also known as crow’s feet. Repetitive pursing can also cause lip wrinkles which get etched around the mouth.

"If you’re confused, express this verbally, as opposed to through your face," she concludes.