Frown and Laugh Lines

Frown and Laugh Lines

Wipe Out the Imprints

Remember when you got the first inkling that all was not right with The Stepford Wives?

Ten to one it was the moment that you sat in your theater seat and realized that the faces on the screen were registering absolutely no emotion. They didn't laugh, they didn't smile, they didn't frown. They simply looked out over the audience like Barbie dolls that had come to life.

In real life, women register all the emotions of which the human species is capable. And after 35 years or so, we register them visibly on our faces, says D'Anne Kleinsmith, M.D., a staff dermatologist at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan.

Laugh and smile a lot, and a series of tiny lines may appear along the corners of your mouth--along with single, slightly deeper lines that will eventually extend from the corners of your mouth to your nose. Frown a lot, and you may also get a few lines between or above your brows or even extending down from the corners of your mouth to your chin.

Although these expression lines are initiated by our emotional responses to life, how deep and how noticeable they become as our skin ages depends on two additional factors, says Dr. Kleinsmith. One is the bone structure that we've inherited from our families, and the other is how much sun has been allowed to damage the elastic fibers in our facial skin.

A TWO-PRONGED STRATEGY

Superficial expression lines can be minimized or prevented with the following strategies recommended by women doctors.

Try a glycolic acid moisturizer. "A moisturizing cream or lotion that contains glycolic acid (one of the alpha hydroxy acids, a synthetic version of acids that occur in fruit and other plants) will help eradicate lines that are not deep," says Margaret A. Weiss, M.D., assistant professor of dermatology at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions in Baltimore.

Your best bet is to try a moisturizer that contains 8 or 10 percent glycolic acid, adds Allison Vidimos, M.D., a staff dermatologist at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. The glycolic acid will loosen old cells on the skin's surface and swap them for fresher cells underneath--a process that will lessen or eradicate fine lines.

Smooth on a sunscreen. "Minimizing sun exposure is the most important thing that a person can do to prevent facial lines," says Dr. Weiss.

So after your glycolic acid moisturizer has had a moment or two to dry, smooth on a sunscreen that has a sun protection factor, or SPF, of at least 15, says Dr. Kleinsmith. If your skin is prone to acne, use a gel; if you have dry skin, use a lotion or cream.

A sunscreen will prevent any further damage to the elastic fibers that keep your skin taut and smooth, effectively halting new wrinkles from forming and old ones from deepening.

If your skin is sensitive, says Dr. Kleinsmith, avoid potentially irritating sunscreens that contain PABA or oxybenzone and use one that contains particles of titanium dioxide instead. It is less likely to irritate.

Reapply according to package directions, adds Dr. Kleinsmith. Most sunscreens will work all day under your makeup. But if you're going swimming, make sure that you use a waterproof sunscreen and reapply it hourly.