Forehead Wrinkles: Causes & Treatment

Let's face it: Basically, wrinkles are an honor. They are a testament to wisdom and life experience. Every time we look in the mirror, they remind us of moments of happiness and times of crisis in our lives.

At least that's true in theory. In practice, however, it’s a bit different. In reality, the furrows in our skin are more of a curse than a blessing.

Day after day, we reluctantly drag around the signs of time with us. Week after week we fight against them with creams, serums and tinctures - sometimes more, sometimes less successfully. Year after year we cuss a little louder in front of the mirror. Why can’t we stay young forever?

We are particularly at war with one wrinkle - our forehead wrinkle. It's hard to make friends with our frown lines or thinker's wrinkles.

For good reason: the furrows on the forehead not only make us look older, but sometimes also more thoughtful and grouchy. And let's be honest: Who wants to leave a thoughtful or grouchy impression all the time?

Reason enough to take a closer look at this unloved wrinkle. How does it develop in the first place and what can we do about it?

What Actually are Wrinkles on the Forehead?

By forehead wrinkles we mean horizontal transverse wrinkles that can run through the entire forehead area. In addition, there are vertical longitudinal wrinkles between the eyes and the root of the nose.

When our face is calm and relaxed, our forehead wrinkles fade into the background. However, if we raise our eyebrows or frown, the furrows become clearly visible.

And this is exactly why they are nicknamed thinker's or frown lines. After all, the prominent furrows are considered a symbol of melancholy, anger and worry.

The attitude towards the forehead wrinkle differs from person to person. For some, it is simply part of life. They effortlessly come to terms with the signs of time.

For others, however, the forehead wrinkle quickly becomes a psychological burden - especially for women. Every time they look in the mirror, they are bothered by the indentation.

At worst, the forehead wrinkle even robs us of quality of life. With all our power we try to conceal the blemish with bangs, headbands, hats or silk scarves. Just as long as no one makes notice of our annoying companion.

How do Wrinkles Appear on the Forehead?

When we are young, our skin is firm and smooth. But as we age, our skin loses its tone and elasticity - starting as early as in our 30s. Year after year, it becomes more difficult for our skin to bind nutrients and moisture.

But that's not all: the formation of collagen and elastane also decreases. And the less collagen and elastane our skin has available, the flabbier it appears. It lacks the rosy glow of its younger years.

Sooner or later, our skin has lost so much elasticity that it literally wrinkles. At first, they are just fine lines that are barely noticeable. But the further the skin ages, the deeper and more prominent the wrinkles become.

An early victim of wrinkle formation is the facial skin. The explanation: Due to the pronounced facial expressions and the constant speaking, it is particularly stressed - much more than the skin on the arms, legs or back.

Especially in the area of the mouth, forehead and nose, lines and furrows quickly form in the skin due to the highly frequent muscle movements - especially thinking lines and nasolabial folds.

In people with high stress levels, the formation of wrinkles in the forehead and mouth area is particularly pronounced. Because the more often we frown or raise our eyebrows, the more pronounced these movements become in the skin's appearance.

It is not without reason that we also like to call forehead and mouth wrinkles facial expression wrinkles.

Genes also play a role in the formation of wrinkles. Thus, women and men with weak connective tissue complain about wrinkles on the forehead and mouth far earlier than women and men with strong connective tissue.

The same phenomenon can be observed in people with very little facial fat. Here, lines and furrows stand out visibly stronger in the complexion - especially horizontal wrinkles.

But not only the genes and the fat content can accelerate the natural aging process. UV rays also have an influence on our skin appearance.

The reason: the sun's rays damage the genetic material (DNA) of our skin cells. And the more our DNA damaged by UV radiation, the more elasticity and suppleness our complexion loses.

Avoiding Wrinkles on the Forehead - What Can I do?

How about some uplifting news: With the right methods, you can prevent pesky forehead wrinkles. Here's how:

Massages

With gentle massages, the wrinkles on the forehead can be visibly smoothened. The rhythmic movements stimulate blood circulation. And the more active the circulation, the fresher, firmer and more elastic the complexion.

It is best to treat your skin to soothing strokes with your fingertips twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening.

Good to know: You achieve particularly good results with aromatic oils - for example with lemon oil.

Steam Baths for Facial Skin

Another secret tip against the advancing skin aging are facial steam baths. This can work wonders already just once a day. The treatment is particularly effective in combination with medicinal plants such as chamomile, sage and lime blossom.

Soak Up the Sun in Moderation

It's no secret: UV rays are toxic for our skin. They quickly make us look old. So let’s enjoy the sun in moderation - and please, never without sunscreen. Creams with a sun protection factor of at least 30 are mandatory. They reliably protect our skin and also provide precious moisture.

Skin Care With Anti-Aging Effect

The right skincare can make a big difference. We make the best choice with high-quality anti-aging products. But what exactly is meant by anti-aging?

Anti-aging refers to all care products that give the skin a new tone and elasticity. And there are two ways to do this: Either they replenish the depleted moisture stores of the skin cells or they support the tissue in storing nutrients.

Care products containing hyaluron, retinol and collagen are ideal against the first wrinkles. These miracle products reliably stimulate the exhausted collagen production and provide the skin with soothing moisture.

Relax Facial Muscles

When we feel stressed, we often frown or raise our eyebrows. But these reactions are not good for our complexion. On the contrary: the facial muscles are unnecessarily strained. The consequence: The first wrinkles begin to appear.

But that doesn't have to be the case. The more often we relax our facial muscles, the fewer furrows we have to worry about later. Wait, it can’t be that easy, right? Yes, it is. But as soon as we kick ourselves in the back every time we frown, we're sure to let it occurr more often.

What Role Does my Skin Type Play in Wrinkles?

When it comes to skin aging, our skin type, which is highly specific to us, is also involved - especially the dry skin type. The less moisture the skin has available, the easier it is for the first wrinkles to appear.

It is not without reason that people who tend to have dwindling skin elasticity report their first wrinkles early on, especially in the forehead and mouth area.

The problem: Those who were blessed with rosy-soft skin in their younger years often have to say goodbye to it in old age. Because over the years, the skin cells increasingly lose their elasticity. And the less elasticity the skin has to show, the faster the skin structure wrinkles.

Can I Get Rid of Forehead Wrinkles Without Muscle Relaxants?

Another reason to get excited: You don't have to accept your forehead wrinkles unconditionally. On the contrary: with these tips and tricks, you can give your complexion noticeably more freshness, youthfulness and resilience:

Correct Skin Care is Key

As soon as the skin loses collagen, the risk of getting wrinkles increases. Fortunately, you can counteract the natural aging of the skin with selected anti-aging products. The secret recipe against lines and furrows in the skin's appearance: moisture.

And what could provide more moisture than creams and serums with hyaluronic acid, retinol, vitamin C and collagen? Their secret: they are true moisture bundles. They cleverly bind water to themselves and plump up the skin from the inside with their yield.

And it is precisely this ingenious plumping effect that declares war on forehead wrinkles. They appear visibly smoother and more even.

Make it Rain With the Right Nutrients

In addition to moisturizing miracles like hyaluronic acid & co., your skin is also happy to receive nutrients - but not just any nutrients. These health-giving ingredients earn a place of honor on your menu:

• Valuable proteins found in dairy products and legumes

• Vitamin C (peppers, citrus fruits)

• Unsaturated fatty acids (salmon)

Good to know: Our skin doesn't say no to bioactive collagen peptides either, which makes it appreciate rich collagen drinks all the more.

The special thing about it: Immediately after consumption, the collagen penetrates straight into the deeper layers of the skin where it stimulates the faltering collagen production, and provides precious new elasticity.

But what is the difference between this and skin care with collagen? Why don't I just treat my skin to a soothing moisturizer with an anti-aging effect?

Quite simply, unlike creams and serums, supplements don't just work on the area where we apply them. They spread throughout the entire body. In this way, you supply your body with valuable fresheners via the bloodstream.

Peelings

Another secret recipe of anti-aging cosmetics against wrinkles on the forehead are peelings. One in particular has proven itself worthy for anti-aging. We are talking about the fruit-acid peeling.

The principle: During the chemical peeling, microfine molecules (glycolic acid) make their way into the deeper layers of the skin.

Once there, they react with the body's own enzymes and thus get the collagen and elastin production of our skin going. Experts speak of a deep effect with the fruit-acid peeling.

In other words, the microfine molecules of the peeling cure reach skin areas that classic creams and serums could never penetrate.

And there’s a nice side effect: the peeling removes the top, rough skin layer, making our complexion feel softer, fresher and more pure after the treatment.

Hyaluronic Injections

For deeper wrinkles, experts recommend injections with hyaluron. For good reason: it gently plumps up the problem zone from the inside, reduces wrinkles and demonstrably promotes collagen synthesis.

And the best: Unlike muscle relaxants, hyaluron has no paralyzing effect. The mobility of the facial muscles is not affected. If anything, it is highly tolerated.

Since hyaluron is a substance produced naturally in the body, our organism usually welcomes it with open arms, unless someone has an allergic reaction to it.

Other Methods to get rid of Wrinkles on Your Forehead

You are at a complete loss: neither fruit-acid peelings nor retinol creams help against your forehead wrinkles. Not even wrinkle injections with hyaluronic acid can smooth the grooves. But what helps then?

If the aforementioned classics do not achieve the desired success, the next step leads to aesthetic medicine. The heart of surgical wrinkle treatment is the injection with neurotoxins.

The concept: The treating physician injects muscle relaxants into the wrinkles. This is a nerve toxin that paralyzes the muscles in the face. And it is precisely through this paralysis of the muscles that wrinkles are supposed to be smoothed out.

Even deeper wrinkles in the facial skin such as the unloved forehead wrinkle can be softened easily and quickly.

Forehead Wrinkle vs Frown Line: What's the Difference?

Forehead wrinkles are transverse to vertical furrows in the forehead area that can be accelerated by emotions such as anger or worry.

The forehead wrinkle should not be confused with the frown line, also known as the glabella wrinkle.

The big difference: it does not run across the forehead, but vertically between the eyebrows. It occurs when we frequently draw our eyebrows together, which happens mainly when we are angry, worried or concentrated.

Many people find their frown lines burdening. After all, they give our face a serious and stern expression.

Are There Other Types of Wrinkles?

Unfortunately, yes: it's not just horizontal forehead wrinkles that get on our nerves. There are a few more expression lines and age wrinkles that take the shine off our complexion: May we introduce you to the most common types?

• Crow's feet (eye wrinkles): Like little bird's feet, these ray-shaped wrinkles run around the outer corners of the eyes and temples. Not infrequently, they are the first wrinkles to make themselves comfortable in our skin appearance. The reason: the skin around the eyes is extremely thin. And the thinner the skin, the faster lines and furrows form.
• Pleated wrinkles (laugh lines): These fine lines make themselves at home between the nose and the upper lip. By the way, they are caused by our constant mouth movements.
• Nasolabial folds: The wrinkles between the nose and the corner of the mouth are the result of a pronounced facial expression, but unfortunately also a typical sign of aging. Because when the skin sags over the years, the furrows become more and more obvious.
• Marionette lines: When facial wrinkles extend from the corner of the mouth to the lower jaw, we refer to them as marionette lines. And this name was not given by accident. Because of the comparatively deep wrinkles, the chin often looks like it is delineated by a marionette. Many of those affected find this disturbing. After all, the furrows make the face look sad and worried.
• Wrinkles: Over the years, the skin increasingly loses hyaluronic acid. The result: it begins to wrinkle. Especially in the area of the eyes and cheeks as well as in the décolleté, the skin quickly wrinkles.