My mother is the biggest advocator for moisturizing. For as long as I can remember, she has been constantly trying to find the best moisturizer for her skin. Her moisturizer obsession has rubbed off on me. I use a combination, which I can thank my mother for discovering, of an unscented vitamin E lotion and regular coconut oil to moisturize my face and body. Using both these products everyday, I got to thinking, what are these products actually doing for my body? My mom always told me to moisturize and keep my skin young for as long as possible and prevent wrinkles. I wondered, does moisturizing actually prevent wrinkles?
Wrinkles are slight lines or folds in the skin of the face. They occur when the collagen fibers in the skin break down. Stress, aging, and environmental factors, such as sun exposure or smoking, cause wrinkles. Some of these factors like sun exposure, hydration, smoking, and drinking are controlled variables and can be altered by the individual. Others like stress and aging are confounding variables that cannot be altered. Genetics and skin type can also play a role in susceptibility to wrinkles. People with oily skin typically have less wrinkles because the excess of oil being produced also acts like a built in moisturizer. Drier skin accentuates wrinkles on the face. According to this article, moisturizing does not get rid of wrinkles, but it can help in prevent or conceal the severity of them
A moisturizers job is to prevent dry or oily and hydrate skin after it has been cleaned. Moisturizing can help prevent tearing or bruising of the skin. A moisturizer works to improve the appearance of a wrinkle by making the wrinkle less deep. When moisturizer is applied, the skin absorbs the moisturizer. The skin puffs up and lessens the appearance of the wrinkle. This effect is only temporary.
So why can the wrinkle only temporarily be lessened? To get rid of a wrinkle in the skin, moisturizer would need to penetrate through the epidermis and enter the dermis to repair the broken down collagens. But there is no moisturizer that is strong enough to do that. This article explains that any product that could get rid of a wrinkle would be considered to be a medicine. Moisturizers do not have any medicinal value, which is why they are considered to be over the counter cosmetic products.
The effectiveness of moisturizer reducing wrinkles has been proven in a study funded by Olay. The study was led by Dr. Greg Hillebrand and the results were published in the British Journal of Dermatology. A sample of 122 females ranging from ages 10-72. Each woman had their picture taken in a neutral face and the hydration levels of their skin were measured. Pictures and examinations happened again eight years later. The concluding observation made from the study is that wrinkles can be delayed by daily protection of the skin with moisturizer and sunscreen.
Moisturizing may not get rid of wrinkles, but it can definitely prevent and improve them. I’ve concluded that hydration, sun protection, and moisturizing is the key to healthy and youthful looking skin. I will stick to my mother’s preachings, and continue to moisturize everyday and I recommend that you do to.
sources:
http://www.webmd.com/beauty/features/how-life-affects-aging-skin#1
https://www.quora.com/Does-moisturizer-get-rid-of-wrinkles
http://www.livestrong.com/article/324363-does-moisturizing-prevent-wrinkles/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/6498421.stm
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/beauty/article-1284498/Back-basics-Nothing-keeps-wrinkles-bay-better-moisturiser.html
I think that you blog post was really interesting. My mom is also an advocate for using moisturizer on a regular basis. I think that you explained the study really well and I also like how you were able to find a study that had a large range of participants that were studied over a long period of time, because it shows how the results can be more reliable. I think it would have been cool if you were able to find another study that showed the same, or even different results. Your blog post made me wonder if there is a difference between using scented or unscented moisturizer because I’ve heard that scented moisturizer could be worse for your skin. I was able to find this article about it if you want to check it out.
Emma,
This is a great topic! I typically moisturize in the summer to protect my skin from the sun and since more of my skin is exposed then. You will always find me lathering my arms and legs up in the summer. In the cold when my skin starts to break out, I moisturize my face less and less in hopes that the moisturizer won’t me break out worse. Lately though, I have heard that it actually is better for your acne to moisturize because if your face is too dry, it will produce more oil therefore causing more breakouts. This article describes how it can help your skin and why. Why do some dermatologists say to dry out your face but yet still tell you to moisturize? There is a method to their madness.