*Exposure to direct sunlight for extended periods of time without using a sufficient sun block is most definitely a wrinkle causing factor in today's world.

Skin that is tanned to a dark golden hue is considered to be a sign of health and beauty in women and a sign of virility in men.

In years gone by, a pale skin that had never been exposed to the suns rays was considered to be a mark of beauty in women and a sign or wealth and power in men (only those who had to do manual labor were tanned).

*An unhealthy diet can accelerate the wrinkling process. A diet that is rich in whole grains, fruits and vegetables will help to delay wrinkling.

*Lack of exercise is a wrinkle accelerator. Regular exercise keeps the blood circulating and waste being disposed of.

*Smoking cigarettes makes the skin wrinkle faster, yet another reason to quit...or never start. The same is true of cigars and snuff. Sudden extreme weight loss causes the skin to wrinkle....a blow to crash dieting!

*Harsh soap accelerates wrinkling. You should always use a soap that is ph balanced and not one that contains deodorizers or perfumes.

*Chlorine in swimming pools in very hard on the skin and increases the rate at which it wrinkles.

*Very hot baths and showers will accelerate skin wrinkling. A warm bath or a warm shower is better for the skin that very hot ones.

*A lack of the correct vitamins and minerals either in diet or in supplements will certainly cause the skin to age (wrinkle) much faster than it should. Antioxidants are vital to skin health.

WHAT ARE WRINKLES: The skin is made up of three

layers.

1. The epidermis or the outer layer.

2. The dermis or the middle layer

3. The subcutaneous or inner layer

Young skin isnt wrinkled because it holds moisture well and has a high level of elasticity; that is it stretches easily. The middle layer of the skin, the dermis, contains fibers called elastin and a protein called collagen.

As people age, their dermis loses both elastin and collagen. The skin gets thinner with this loss and becomes drier because it is harder for the dermis to get moisture. There is fat in the subcutaneous layer of the skin. As people age, they lose the fat in subcutaneous layer and this causes the skin to begin to sag.

People do not get wrinkles at a certain age. There are people in their 20s who have wrinkles around their eyes called crows feet because they squint their eyes a lot or because they smoke or because they spend too much time in the sun without using proper sun screen.

There are also people in their 50s and 60s that have very few wrinkles. Sometimes this is because they have an abundance of sebum in their skin. Sebum is natural skin oil that the body produces.

Heredity has an affect on how early in life wrinkles begin to appear. Members of some families will just wrinkle earlier than members of other families. Its all in the genes we inherit. There are several things that young people can do that will help to prevent or at least prolong wrinkling in their later years.

*Always use a sunscreen when being exposed to direct sunlight. This sunscreen needs to have an SPF (Sun Protection Factor) of at least 15.

*Dont go to tanning salons.

*Dont smoke

*Stay well hydrated

*Use skin moisturizing creams