Common Types of Wrinkles, and the Expressions That Can Make Them Worse

One of the earliest signs of the aging process is the lines and wrinkles than can start to form on our faces. 

Facial wrinkles form when the fat beneath our skin begins to recede, leaving empty spaces under the skin. While this is happening, collagen and elastin in your body start to slow in production (roughly by 1% every year after 20), leading to the skin losing its firm hold on the face. The combination of looser skin and empty pockets of fat creates the lines and wrinkles on our faces and bodies.

Some people seek ways to undo the signs of lines and wrinkles, whether through skincare or a natural looking facelift procedure. The following is a more detailed breakdown of lines and wrinkles and how they form on our faces.

Types of Wrinkles

Most facial wrinkles can be broken down into two main categories: Static or Dynamic wrinkles.

Dynamic wrinkles temporarily form while making certain facial expressions, such as crinkling of the eyes and nose when we smile, that then fade when our eyes return to their natural resting position. Static wrinkles, however, stay permanently on the face, regardless of a resting position. Most dynamic wrinkles eventually become static and can form as early as your mid-twenties before deepening over time.

With this base understanding of facial wrinkles, here are some common types of examples of them that occur.

Frown Lines

Frown lines are caused by the furrowing of the brow, such as when you're concentrating on a screen, squinting in the sun, or the like. Frown lines can appear between your eyebrows, creating a crease that deepens over time. While these usually only start as dynamic types of wrinkles, they often become static.

Bunny Lines

Bunny lines are wrinkles that show up on either side of the nose when it scrunches up. This can happen during movements such as laughter, sneezing, or simply smiling. These lines are often dynamic but can eventually lead to static wrinkles later in life.

Smokers Lines

Smoker's lines, also known as vertical lip lines, appear around the lip region where skin and fat are thin. This thinness allows for wrinkles to form and is generally caused by mouth movements such as pursing of the lips more easily. As the name implies, this form of the line is particularly found in those who smoke due to the repetitive pursing of the lips when smoking a cigarette. Additionally, the chemicals found in cigarettes can age the skin faster, creating worsened wrinkles than that of non-smokers.

Crows Feet

Crows' feet are one of the first types of lines a person may notice on their face as they begin to age. Crows' feet form themselves around the outer regions of the eyes and are caused by movements such as smiling, squinting, sneezing, concentrating, or any other expression around the eyes.

Marionette Lines

Marionette lines form around the lips and chin, running vertically from the edges down to the chin, giving the appearance of a marionette puppet.