We can't actually stop aging. But we can age gracefully. Only a very few people actually manage that. If you are not one of those groups, if you constantly apply anti wrinkle skin care products and avoid the mirror, then you should keep reading. We'll tell you some of the reasons why those detested wrinkles appear on your face--maybe you can avoid those things and thus lessen your wrinkles --you'll look younger and feel a lot better.

Why do we get wrinkles? That's the question, isn't it? Well, there are many reasons, but the three chief ones are listed below. Do take a look.

* Sun Damage: The sun is wonderful, right? We all love it. Unfortunately, this great love for sunshine can be as harmful to our skin as it is beneficial, maybe more so?the sun provides Vitamin D, sure, but the sun's UV rays are probably the worst enemy of the skin. It breaks down elastin and collagen, and this, in turn, causes wrinkles to form and skin to sag.

* Smoking: Smoking is unequivocally bad for the skin. Simply put, it irritates the skin. It narrows the blood vessels, lessening blood flow to the skin. Besides that, it depletes the skin of essential nutrients like Vitamin A and Oxygen. Smoking also lessens elastin and collagen, as a result of which the skin loses its firmness and tightness. So, as you now know, smoking causes wrinkles in a number of ways. Try quitting, or at least cutting down.

* Free Radicals: These are very well named, actually, being both free and radical. They are indiscriminate and will attack anything --molecules, including DNA, lipids and proteins in skin. This, clearly, is not anything like a good thing, as free radicals can damage the structure of cell membranes. This can make cells function badly, or even die. This of course, leads to wrinkles, among other things.

Now, the simple fact is, you can't entirely avoid all these causes. But what you can do is buy the best anti wrinkle skin products -- there are several on the market. Read the ingredients. This will tell you what the cream is composed of. The ingredient on top is usually the one present in greatest amount --if that is water, and then the cream is mostly water. But even if the anti-wrinkle cream claims to be a miracle-worker, be a bit skeptical about that -- a cream is a cream is a cream. However, some creams can make lines and wrinkles disappear over a certain length of time, or at least make them diminish. A great way to assess any product is to get recommendations from family and friends --that way you really know whether something works.

So, now that you know what causes wrinkles, try avoiding them. If you can't, do yourself a favor and buy a good anti-wrinkle cream.