The Science Behind Wrinkle Formation: Understanding Causes to Discover Solutions

In their mid to late 30s, the first permanent forehead and eye wrinkles regularly cause my patients to be dissatisfied with their appearance. Wrinkles on the face suddenly make people look older and more tired. You don’t have to put up with this. As an aesthetic surgeon from Switzerland, I will explain the typical causes of wrinkles below and introduce you to the common methods of wrinkle treatment.

Why and where do we have wrinkles? 

Wrinkles and fine lines usually come with age and are a typical ageing phenomenon of our skin. However, there are also other causes of wrinkles: some people develop certain types of wrinkles at a younger age that are influenced by genetics or lifestyle – such as wrinkles caused by facial expressions, dehydration, smoking or sun exposure.

Some areas of the body are particularly sensitive to the formation of wrinkles. These include face, neck and décolleté in particular. On the face, it is usually the skin around the eyes and mouth that is affected by the formation of wrinkles. What are these wrinkles called in detail? And why do they appear?

Causes of wrinkles on face, neck and décolleté

The face is a particularly obvious area for wrinkles. Nowhere else are wrinkles more disturbing than here. Wrinkles tend to appear on the forehead, around the eye area, between the eyebrows and around the mouth. These can be:

• Forehead wrinkles
• Crow’s feet
• Frown lines
• Nasolabial folds

Such wrinkles are usually caused by genetic predisposition, but facial expression habits can be the cause just as well. The skin of our neck also often loses elasticity and forms wrinkles as a result of the ageing process. The décolleté is just as sensitive to the formation of wrinkles, especially if your skin has not been adequately protected from sun exposure over the years.

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Wrinkles on other parts of the body

Wrinkles can of course also appear on other parts of the body: The skin on the hands in particular is thin and sensitive, which can lead to wrinkles forming over time. If your skin on the arms, legs or joints such as on knees and elbows loses its firmness with age, wrinkles also appear here due to sagging skin. Wrinkles on the back, on the other hand, are rather rare.

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Your lifestyle influences the formation of wrinkles

However, even if you are one of those people who are prone to increased wrinkling due to genetic factors, you can do a lot to reduce the appearance of wrinkles or slow down the natural formation of wrinkles by adopting a healthy lifestyle. The most important factors here are

• Protection from excessive sun exposure

To avoid wrinkles caused by the sun, you need adequate protection from excessive sun exposure, as this accelerates skin ageing. Even better: avoid long periods of sunbathing.

• Drink enough and develop a good moisturising skin care practice

Keeping hydrated will help prevent the skin from drying out and prematurely forming dehydration lines.

• Quit smoking

Smoking is associated with premature skin ageing. Smokers develop fine lines around the mouth and lips, even at a young age.


• Optimise sleep, avoid sleep deprivation

Sleeping habits and a lack of sufficient sleep can also lead to wrinkles – especially around the eye area.

• Change your facial expression habits

Do you tend to frown or draw your eyebrows together when thinking or talking? Pay attention to these repetitive facial movements to avoid unnecessary expression lines.

Paying attention to all these factors – a healthy lifestyle with sufficient fluid intake, a balanced diet, healthy sleep and sun protection – generally contributes to skin health and slows down the ageing process. Regardless of this, some people develop wrinkles faster than others due to their genetic predisposition.

At a glance: Possible solutions for wrinkle treatment

You can live with both age-related and natural wrinkles – but you don’t have to. Many of my patients want a more youthful appearance and a firmer skin surface. Some suffer greatly from their increasing wrinkle formation.

Everyone has to decide for themselves which type of wrinkle treatment is the right choice in each individual case. As an experienced cosmetic surgeon in Switzerland, I will support and advise you in this decision-making process and present the most important methods of wrinkle treatment in the following overview. 

There are invasive and non-invasive methods for treating wrinkles – with different advantages and disadvantages. The decision in favour of a particular wrinkle treatment depends not least on individual preferences, the condition of your skin and the degree of wrinkling.

Invasive versus non-invasive wrinkle treatment

Invasive procedures for wrinkle treatment include thread lifting: in this surgical procedure, special threads are inserted under the skin to tighten and lift it. Non-invasive procedures include topical creams and serums, chemical peels and laser therapy. Microdermabrasion is another non-invasive method that can achieve good results in the treatment of wrinkles. 

• Topical creams and serums

These are products that are applied to the skin. They usually contain retinol, hyaluronic acid, vitamin C or other ingredients that tighten the skin and reduce the appearance of fine lines.

• Chemical peels

Chemical solutions are applied to the skin. They remove its outer layer and improve your skin structure.

• Laser therapy

Laser light is used to tighten the skin and stimulate collagen production. As a result, wrinkles are reduced. 

• Microdermabrasion

Tiny crystals or a diamond attachment are used to remove the outer skin layer and smooth the skin.

Wrinkle treatment by injection: Botox and dermal fillers

There are also other non-invasive methods of wrinkle treatment that involve injecting Botox or dermal fillers into the skin. While Botox, as botulinum toxin injections are also called, is a method that specifically relaxes your facial muscles and thus smoothes wrinkles, dermal filler injections involve injecting substances such as hyaluronic acid or collagen into the skin to create volume and fill in wrinkles.

Where exactly in your face will the injections be placed? That depends on the specific wrinkles to be treated.

Typical areas for injection sites for Botox injections are

• the forehead to reduce forehead wrinkles and horizontal lines
• the area between the eyebrows to treat frown lines or vertical lines in the so-called glabella region
• the eye area to smooth crow’s feet, fine lines and wrinkles around the outer corners of the eyes 
• the bridge of the nose to reduce bunny lines, i.e. fine lines on the top of the nose
• the mouth area to treat excessive laugh lines

• the chin to reduce chin wrinkles, also known as mentolabial folds

Typical areas for dermal filler injections are

• the nasolabial folds running from the wings of the nose to the corners of the mouth
• marionette lines running vertically downwards from the corner of the mouth to the jawline
• the lips to enlarge or reshape the lips and reduce lip wrinkles

• the cheeks to restore volume and emphasise the cheekbones

• tear trough to reduce dark circles and add volume to the under-eye area

The injection of Botox and dermal fillers in particular is an artful practice that requires a great deal of experience and expertise. As an experienced specialist in aesthetic surgery, I take your individual facial anatomy into account with great care and help you to achieve a natural and balanced result. Through a detailed consultation beforehand, my team and I will ensure that together we find the best option for your individual needs.