Forehead Lines: What Are They and How Do You Treat Them
Forehead lines are a guaranteed part of life as you age.
Although this is a normal and inevitable part of getting older, it doesn’t stop some people from worrying about them, which ironically only adds to their issues.
We all want our faces to look as good as they can be, and we shouldn’t be embarrassed when wrinkles or lines start to form on our anterior.
But if you want to stave off or at least reduce their appearance, there are several ways you can do this.
These ways can be divided into two categories: lifestyle changes and cosmetic products.
In this article, we will take a closer look at both.
What are Forehead Lines?
Forehead or worry lines are those horizontal creases that appear when you move the underlying frontalis muscle on your forehead.
Typically, this occurs through the act of frowning. Which is caused by the raising of your eyebrows up and down. Often as an expression of human emotions like happiness, fear, or surprise.
Over time the more you do this, the greater the likelihood of permanent forehead lines becoming etched on your face.
Lifestyle factors
The way you live your life has a major impact on the health of your skin and the propensity of your forehead to develop wrinkles.
To reduce this occurrence by keeping your skin smoother, try to adopt these lifestyle measures.
1. Drink lots of water
The first thing you can do to reduce the appearance of forehead lines is to drink plenty of water.
If your skin is dry, it facilitates a more prominent appearance of wrinkles. Therefore, it follows that the better hydrated it is, the less likely you are to display them.
On average, women should drink about 2 litres of water a day and there are several health benefits to doing this.
To help you stay hydrated from the inside, if you can’t face the thought of drinking plain water, try adding lemon, lime, cucumber, mint or a fruit infuser to give it more flavour.
2. Quit smoking immediately
We all know smoking is very harmful to you.
But if the increased risk of heart disease, emphysema or lung cancer doesn’t put you off from quitting, then maybe the fact that it accelerates wrinkles and premature signs of ageing will.
Smoking has been proven to be the predominant factor that triggers the onset of fine lines upon your skin.
This is because the chemicals in cigarettes significantly reduce your body’s levels of collagen production as well as damage the overall elasticity of your skin.
3. Be sunwise
Most of us love to go out in the sun and top up our tans.
Yet doing this can be very bad for our skin. Prolonged exposure to the sun’s harmful UV rays renders it more susceptible to skin cancer. It can also lead to dark spots, wrinkles and other accelerated signs of ageing.
Try and limit the length of time you go out in the sun and the time of day you do it too. Be sure to wear sunscreen with an SPF factor of at least 15.
4. Manage stress
One reason why worry lines may form is because of frequent frowning.
Frowning, of course, regularly happens when you are stressed about something. So to reduce your chances of forehead wrinkles appearing because of it, try and keep your stress levels to a minimum.
This is easier said than done, but there are several activities you can do to keep a handle on your emotions.
Try practising yoga or meditating, as well as walking and running – especially on the beach or in a park. You could also give aromatherapy and diaphragmatic breathing a go. While journaling, sleeping better and discussing your worries with a therapist might also help.
Doing this will be of huge benefit to your skin and, in particular, wrinkles.
5. Eat a healthy and balanced diet
Ever heard the adage ‘you are what you eat?’ Well, concerning forehead lines, it is true.
Research has found that your diet plays an enormous role in maintaining good skin health and appearance.
Foods with vitamin C and linolenic acid, which is an omega-3 fatty acid, are very effective in reducing your risk of succumbing to dry skin and wrinkles.
By contrast, consuming lots of foods with high levels of carbs and fat causes an increased likelihood of skin atrophy.
Cosmetics Products and treatments
There is a plethora of cosmetic products on the market that may be able to treat signs of ageing.
Here are some beauty products which do make a difference when it comes to reducing wrinkles. These include:
1. Exfoliating products
Exfoliating products can work well to achieve healthier and younger-looking skin. This is particularly true when they contain glycolic acid.
This alpha hydroxy acid is a major ingredient in many chemical peels. You may also find it in some leave-on exfoliants that you can buy over the counter.
For some people, glycolic acid could result in your skin suffering from sun sensitivity. So it is a good idea to wear sunscreen after using products that feature it.
2. Retinol Products
Retinol is a mild form of tretinoin, which is a vitamin A by-product that is often prescribed to treat acne and wrinkles.
While creams that feature it support the production of collagen and improve your overall skin cell turnover, like glycolic acid, it does not stand up well to sunlight.
So to achieve the best results possible, try and restrict your use of products that contain it to nighttime applications only.
3. Primer
In the same way, as paint primer creates a surface to be painted on, face primer acts as a surface on which to apply foundation to your skin.
While primer will not eradicate forehead wrinkles, it is a cheaper solution to make them less conspicuous.
Primer is available in various forms including gel or cream. It works by smoothing the skin that is wrinkled and therefore enabling you to put on a foundation that stays on your face all day.
4. Botox
Created from botulinum toxin, this type of medication displays good results when it comes to reducing forehead wrinkles.
After carefully being injected into specific muscles in your forehead, it paralyses them temporarily. This means they are unable to contract. So when you frown, your forehead doesn’t wrinkle.
In general, a Botox treatment lasts for between 3 to 6 months, depending on which one you get.
It is worth noting they can be expensive and could result in, albeit uncommon side effects, like dry eyes, headache, flu-like symptoms and swelling, bruising or pain where the injection took place.
Final Thought
We hope you found our review of what forehead lines are and how you can treat them very informative.
The ongoing fight against ageing is one we will eventually succumb to. However, there are some things you can do to keep worry lines and wrinkles at bay for longer.
Predominantly this involves looking after your body through a healthy lifestyle. Namely by drinking plenty of water, eating a balanced diet, not smoking, managing levels of stress and reducing your exposure time to the sun.
However, a little bit of help from top-quality cosmetic products and procedures doesn’t hurt either.
