Sleep wrinkles: How to prevent them and preserve your skin

There are many factors that contribute to wrinkle formation in your skin, such as ageing, sun exposure, smoking, dehydration, repetitive facial expressions (such as smiling, pouting, frowning, squinting), and even your sleeping posture.

The skin on your face gets crushed and squeezed far more when you sleep on your side or stomach than when you sleep on your back. Sleeping on your side or stomach causes your face to push against the pillow due to gravity. As you move about as you sleep, your skin is stretched, squeezed, and pushed in various directions, causing distortion to your facial skin.

By switching positions regularly or sleeping on your back, you can lessen the external pressures pushing on your face. By examining your face, doctors can determine which side you sleep on. Sleep wrinkles on a youthful face are temporary and go away when you wake up.

With time and repetition, transient wrinkles from sleep can turn into permanent ones. Our skin becomes less elastic (stretch) and flexible (recoil) as we age, which makes it easier for wrinkles or lines from sleeping to appear and last longer.

The pattern and pace of sleep wrinkle formation are also influenced by the length of time spent in each sleeping position, the strength of the pressures exerted externally to each part of the face, and the area of contact with the pillow surface.

Skin specialists are usually able to identify this. Individuals who prefer to sleep on one side of their body typically have more noticeable sleep lines and a flatter face on the side they sleep on.

What can you do to avoid sleep wrinkles?

Wrinkle formation can be inhibited by increasing the elasticity of the skin by skincare procedures that supplement collagen. In addition to adding moisture and stimulating the creation of collagen, hyaluronic acid can help delay the onset of wrinkles.

Using silk pillowcases can also help as they allow your skin to move and glide instead than applying pressure and friction to one area, they may also reduce the appearance of wrinkles. Both sleeping on your back and moisturising your skin just before bed will help lower your chance of developing sleep wrinkles.

Otherwise, good eating habits and lifestyle decisions, such giving up smoking, drinking lots of water, maintaining a balanced diet that includes adequate fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, healthy fats, yogurt, and other fermented foods, as well as consistent use of sunscreen, might be beneficial.