So I'm Wrinkly. Sue Me.

I have attended quite a few events in the past few weeks and there have been a lot of pictures taken of me. As I check them all out as they come up on Facebook, I think one thing: Wrinkles. Why?

I have one wrinkle that runs horizontally across my forehead and another that runs vertically between my eyebrows and it's only going to get worse and I kind of hate them. I've only noticed them appearing over the past year-ish. I mean, I'm 25 years old. It's not like I think I look like Lieutenant Worf or anything, but still. Wrinkles, really? Why the hell does our skin wrinkle anyway?!

Photo Credit: startrek.com

I've heard all sorts of speculation about the origin of wrinkles, from dry skin to old age, but I've never cared to understand wrinkles. Until now.

According to MSN, dry skin does not cause wrinkles, but it does make them look worse. The actual wrinkles are caused by side effects of aging, not being old. More specifically, what the article said: "Over time, shrinkage of facial bone structure, loss of collagen, skin elasticity and gravity equals wrinkles." What I heard: "You get old; you shrink; your skin gets loose, and gravity pulls it down. Along with all your other parts."

But I am 25. Sure, that's one quarter of a century, but... Wrinkles? Already?

Ah, alas, MSN also says that 90% of wrinkles are caused from sun exposure. Now I understand that they mean years and years, decades, really, of sun exposure. But I'm pretty sure that means my two wrinkles are from squinting in the sun. Light sensitivity is a side effect of bad eyesight (something I learned at college this year so it must be true). I have horrible eyesight and I definitely am sensitive to light, so any time I step out into the world without sunglasses I am squinting like Clint Eastwood. These two wrinkle offenders of mine happen to run exactly where my face squinches when I squint.

Photo Credit: tvtropes.org

How do you fix wrinkles? Well, as far as I can tell wrinkles are like pregnancy: preventing it from happening in the first place is the best way to "fix" it. Okay, the steps for wrinkle-prevention differ a bit from preventing pregnancy, but the premise is the same: a little preventative maintenance goes a long way in avoiding the end-result you're looking to steer clear of. Keep your skin moisturized to help with the appearance of wrinkles, stay hydrated to help the skin not dry out in the first place, stay out of the damn sun--or at least wear sunblock (which I've already decided doesn't work anyway)--to protect your flimsy human flesh, and something else about fruit acids and vitamins.

So what I gather is, wrinkles are pretty much a gamble. You can try to prevent them but there's no guarantee it'll work. "You want a guarantee, buy a toaster."