Expression Lines: Causes, Treatment, And Prevention

Written by Aaron Guldager — October 08, 2018

Expression Lines: Causes, Treatment, And Prevention

We all experience dozens of emotions every day. Naturally, each of these emotions comes with a different facial expression.

After hundreds of different facial expressions per day, 365 days per year, for several decades on end, expression lines can begin to take shape.

Expression lines, like many other types of fine lines and wrinkles, can be unsightly. That’s why the beauty experts at SiO are here to help! This article will explain what exactly expression lines are, what causes them, and — most importantly — how to treat and prevent them.

What Are Expression Lines?

Expression lines are the creases that form in your skin when you make different facial expressions.

When you’re young, these lines simply disappear once your face returns to a resting position. But, over time, these expression lines start to become permanent, leading to wrinkles.

Here are some of the most common varieties of expression lines.

Frown Lines

Frown lines are the little wrinkles that form between your eyebrows. They typically form vertically in two thin lines. This is why they’re sometimes called “the 11s” — two thin, vertical frown lines may look just like the number 11.

Lip Lines

Lip lines, sometimes called smoker’s lines, are the tiny creases that form just above your upper lip. They run vertically from your lip up toward your nose. They’re often very faint but may also be quite visible.

Forehead Lines

Forehead lines are the creases that form horizontally on your brow. They may be very soft lines or they may be deeply-formed wrinkles.

Smile Lines

Nasolabial folds, more commonly known as smile lines or laugh lines, are the creases that run diagonally from the outer edges of your nostrils down to the sides of your mouth.

woman smiling while holding a towel under her chin

What Causes Expression Lines?

Repeated Facial Expressions

Making the same facial expressions tens or even hundreds of thousands of times begins to create permanent creases (expression lines) in your skin.

Aging

Aging is the root of all skin-care evil. As you grow older, your skin produces less collagen and elastin. This makes it harder for your skin to spring back to its original shape after facial expressions cause folds, creases, and wrinkles.

Fortunately, there are effective ways to stop the signs of aging in their tracks. Start wearing SiO Beauty patches while you sleep to boost hydration and reduce wrinkle depth in as little as one night.

Fighting the effects of aging has never been so easy!

Genes

Some ladies seem to keep smooth, gorgeous skin well into their 60s. Blessed with spectacular genes, these women are few and far between.

For all the rest of us, we have to worry about expression lines and wrinkles. Developing expression lines is a completely normal event for us mere mortals.

Lifestyle

Everything from your diet to your exercise habits has an impact on the health of your skin. If you have healthy habits, you’re more likely to have smooth, radiant skin.

On the other hand, if you live an unhealthy lifestyle, you shouldn’t be surprised to see expression lines forming.

Here are a few habits that can lead to expression lines and other wrinkles:

  • Getting less than six hours of sleep per night
  • Smoking or using other tobacco products 
  • Not drinking enough water throughout the day
  • Drinking alcohol too frequently or to excess
  • Eating too much junk food and too few veggies
  • Getting too little exercise

All of these habits will impact your health both inside and out.

back view of woman running along path outdoors

10 Tips To Treat And Prevent Expression Lines

Now that we’ve learned the most common causes of expression lines, let’s get to the important stuff: how to treat and prevent them. Follow these 10 easy and effective tips to fight expression lines now.

1) Gently Cleanse Your Face

You probably know how important it is to wash your face twice per day. But there are a number of crucial skin care secrets that you might not know about it.

Here are a few pro tips:

  • Wet your face with warm (not hot) water and rinse with cold water
  • Use a gentle facial cleanser that won’t be too harsh on your skin
  • Lather gently
  • Always pat (instead of rubbing or pulling, which stretches your skin) your face dry with a soft towel

Don’t forget to apply a layer of moisturizer as soon as you’re done cleansing, which leads us to tip number two.

2) Moisturize All The Time For Skin-Saving Hydration

At a minimum, you should be applying moisturizer at least twice per day: once in the morning and then once again in the evening. More is pretty much always better!

There’s no such thing as having skin that’s too moisturized. If you have time, try to slap on some moisturizer once or twice more throughout your day.

3) Exfoliate Once Or Twice Per Week

Exfoliating your skin will help to clear away all the dead skin cells that build up on your skin’s surface. This helps younger, healthier skin cells to rise to the top, thus fighting expression lines and giving you that wonderful glowing skin you’ve been looking for.

woman applying cleanser to her face to treat and prevent expression lines

4) Try DIY Face Masks

Homemade face masks will help give your skin a big boost of hydration while also nourishing your skin cells with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Plus, they’re a lot of fun and can be a great way to relax at home.

Here are a few household ingredients you can use to make a DIY face mask:

If you’re feeling extra adventurous, you can even mix and match ingredients to create your own DIY face mask recipe.

woman relaxing in a bath and applying yogurt mask to her face

5) Get Your Eyes Checked

Scheduling an appointment with your optometrist might seem like strange skin care advice, but it’s actually a crucial step to treat and prevent expression lines. If your eyesight isn’t as good as it once was, you’re likely squinting more than you need to be.

Since squinting is a facial expression that causes lines around your eyes and between your eyebrows, getting your eyes checked is an important step in the fight against expression lines.

6) Perform Facial Exercises

Facial exercises will strengthen the muscles under your skin. This can help your muscles to hold your skin up firmly, reducing the appearance of expression lines.

7) Give Yourself Face Massages

Short, gentle facial massages can increase blood circulation to your skin cells, which helps prevent dull skin and gives your skin cells more nutrients.

Gently press your fingers into your skin and move them in small circles. Rotate to different parts of your face after about a minute.

woman with eyes closed touching the skin on her face with both hands

8) Protect Your Skin From The Sun

The sun does serious damage to your skin cells, causing everything from sunburn and sunspots to wrinkles and serious illnesses, like melanoma.

Apply a layer of sunscreen to your face every single morning before you leave the house.

9) Keep Your Face Still

Reducing the amount of movement on your face will prevent expression lines from forming.

Of course, you don’t want to stop making any facial expressions altogether, but try to not make exaggerated facial expressions when it’s not necessary.

10) Use SiO Beauty Patches

To get rid of expression lines ASAP, start wearing SiO Beauty patches tonight. Made from the finest quality medical-grade silicone, SiO Beauty patches have been clinically proven to produce visible results in as little as one night.

All you need to do is apply them onto thoroughly cleansed skin at the end of your normal nightly beauty routine. Then, get a good night’s sleep, wake up in the morning, and remove the SiO patches to reveal smoother, younger-looking skin!

It’s literally that simple.

close up of woman wearing SiO Beauty patches to treat expression lines

And it gets better — SiO offers beauty patches for all of the areas most affected by expression lines: your brow, your eyes, and your lip region.

With the power of these three patches combined, along with the other nine tips provided above, you’ll be beating expression lines back with everything you’ve got. Get smoother, younger-looking skin now!