What Are the Main Types of Facial Wrinkles?

Since BOTOX^® is such an effective wrinkle treatment, known all around the world, people sometimes mistakenly believe that it can be used to treat all wrinkles. Even though varying facial lines can often look very similar, the truth is that not all wrinkles are the same. Many of the wrinkles that occur on different parts of your face have their own, unique, and separate causes—and so they require different types of treatments. For example, wrinkle relaxers like BOTOX^® might be able to smooth out fine crow’s feet lines around the eyes, but they may be essentially useless for deep folds on the lower face. Sometimes, just one type of treatment isn’t enough when you have multiple concerns to correct. Patients often need a combination of various injectable treatments, such as neuromodulators paired with other injectable treatments like Sculptra Aesthetic^®. Milwaukee, WI’s ReFresh Aesthetic Center explains the basic types of wrinkles and how they form—which is critical for choosing the ideal treatment. 

Dynamic Wrinkles

Facial expressions are an essential part of social interaction, but unfortunately, they also cause the earliest stage of wrinkles to appear on our faces—usually when we’re in our 20s or 30s. The average person blinks between 15 and 20 times per minute. We’re capable of producing more than 10,000 unique facial expressions. Along with talking, chewing, drinking from straws and bottles, or squinting while staring at screens or books, that’s a lot of potential muscle movement in our faces as we go through life, even if our expressions may only last a few seconds at a time. 

It’s not ideal (or possible, really) to keep our faces perfectly still, but that means every time the skin that’s attached to our facial muscles is drawn together or otherwise pulled out of place, creases begin to appear. These lines are known as dynamic wrinkles, and they are typically most noticeable when the face is animated.

Younger skin is especially elastic and can spring back to its smooth state, but eventually, as skin weakens over time, dynamic wrinkles start to become more pronounced, especially on high-movement areas where the skin is naturally thinner, such as around the eyes and mouth.

Dynamic wrinkles tend to occur on the upper part of the face, as well as around the mouth and lower face. The most well-known examples of dynamic wrinkles are expression lines such as horizontal forehead wrinkles, crow's feet, and vertical “11s” between the brows. 

Static Wrinkles 

Muscle activity isn’t the only cause of wrinkles. Facial lines are also associated with all kinds of skin damage caused by normal aging, gravity, pressure or friction on the skin, smoking, excessive exposure to UV radiation, an unhealthy diet, inflammation, and air pollution. Wrinkles that aren’t linked to the overuse of facial muscles are known as static wrinkles.

Unlike dynamic wrinkles, static wrinkles are visible even when the face is at rest and become permanent marks on the skin. They usually are found on the center and lower parts of the face. Some common examples of static wrinkles include:

Permanent Elastotic Creases/Elastic Wrinkles

These types of wrinkles are seen on areas that experience significant sun exposure, such as the cheeks, the upper lip, and the base of the neck. They are usually common on people who have naturally pale skin and are associated with a loss of collagen and elastin, along with sun damage. 

Sleep Wrinkles/Compression Lines

At night, when your face is pressed against a pillow or sheets for long hours, the constant pressure and friction can cause wrinkles to appear on the face, neck, and chest. Wrinkles may also form above the knee due to the weight of the legs. 

Gravitational Folds

Gravitational folds, such as nasolabial folds, occur due to the pull of gravity, as the name suggests. Over time, the skin loses its structure and develops a deflated appearance. 

For more details on wrinkle treatments—such as botulinum toxin injections, hyaluronic acid fillers, and collagen stimulators like Sculptra Aesthetic^®—contact Milwaukee, WI’s ReFresh Aesthetic Center. Call them at 414-964-1111, or send a message to schedule an appointment.