Sleeping Position Can Cause Wrinkles on the Face, Here's the Explanation from a Doctor

JAKARTA - Not a few people focus on taking care of their skin with expensive creams and regular treatments, but forget one simple habit that turns out to have a big impact, namely the sleeping position.

A study published in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal revealed that lying on your side and on your back can cause changes in the shape of your face and trigger wrinkles that are increasingly difficult to remove.

According to the study, the pressure that occurs when the face is attached to the pillow for hours can cause pressure, pulling, and friction on the skin.

If it happens constantly every night for years, the effect is not just temporary fine lines, but can develop into permanent wrinkles.

"Sleep wrinkles are formed because the face continues to experience distortion when the surface of the pillow is pressed. Over time, these wrinkles become clearer as the skin thins and its elasticity decreases due to aging," explains Dr. Goesel Anson, the lead author of the study, quoted from The Aesthetic Society website.

Until now we have known wrinkles due to facial expressions. for example, a smile line or a wrinkle on the forehead because it often frowns. However, wrinkles due to sleeping positions are different causes.

These wrinkles appear not because of muscle movement, but because of repeated mechanical pressure. Sleep wrinkles often appear in the forehead, cheeks and around the lips. Interestingly, the direction of these wrinkles is usually different from the natural expression lines of the face, even often transverse or perpendicular to the expression lines. What makes it less pleasant, the type of wrinkles is not easily overcome with Botox.

"Neurotoxins like Botox work by relaxing the muscles, whereas sleep wrinkles are not caused by muscle contraction. So the effect is very limited for this type of wrinkle," added Dr. Anson.

The research also found interesting facts about our sleeping habits. Even though we choose the initial position consciously, throughout the night the body will change positions without realizing it.

The average person changes position about 20 times per night. However, this number decreases with age from about 27 times per night when young to only 16 at an older age. This means that the pressure on one side of the face can last longer, giving more time for wrinkles to form.

From various sleep studies, it is known that about 65% of people sleep on their side, 30% sleep on their backs, and only 5% sleep on their stomachs. In fact, the safest position for the skin of the face is actually lying on your back, because it minimizes direct pressure on the face.

Doctors recommend trying to sleep on your back to reduce distortion on the face. Now there are also special pillows designed to help keep the head and face in a position that is not too stressed.

"If you can maintain a supine position while sleeping, it is the most ideal to minimize sleep wrinkles," said Dr. Anson.

However, changing sleeping habits is not easy. Therefore, other treatments remain important to help maintain skin quality, such as regularly using sunscreen, quitting smoking, maintaining a nutritious diet, and using the right skin care.

Several noninvasive aesthetic treatments that stimulate collagen production are also considered to help disguise sleep wrinkles, although they do not completely eliminate them.