Does Sleeping Cause Wrinkles?

A good night’s sleep can do more than make you feel well-rested and energized the next day. It also has anti-aging benefits, as your body goes into a regenerative mode during your slumber. Sleep enables your skin to repair daytime damage, as well as stimulates collagen synthesis. This helps in keeping your skin smooth and youthful.

While there is no denying the benefits of a good slumber, the way you sleep can sometimes contribute to premature signs of aging. Certain sleep positions can create creases on your cheeks, chin, and other areas of the face. These creases are also referred to as sleep wrinkles.

How sleep wrinkles differ from expression lines

Sleep wrinkles – develop due to the constant pressure of pressing your face against fabric or pillowcase. They usually form as you move your face while you sleep, which then creates friction. This is especially true in certain fabrics that do not allow your skin to glide smoothly (like cotton). Tossing and turning at night can pull and tug on your skin, resulting in unwanted creases.

Expression lines – form due to repeated muscle contraction in your face.  These are mainly caused by repetitive facial expressions like frowning, squinting, smiling, and lip pursing, which leave lingering lines over time. These lines and creases can become permanent over time, especially when your skin loses its strength and elasticity with aging. This then results in wrinkles. 

Your sleeping position and sleep wrinkles

As we spend hours and hours sleeping daily, it is highly likely for sleep-related facial lines to become etched in our skin over time. Read on and learn how your sleeping position can affect your facial skin:

• Sleeping on your side – While there are many health benefits to side sleeping (especially left), it can also cause unwanted vertical creases on your face. If you favor one side over the other, you may see uneven lines or more creases on one side of your face. Alternating which side you sleep can help prevent this. 
• Sleeping on your stomach – With this position, your face is likely smashed or pressed against the pillow. Putting your face directly into a fabric or pillowcase creates friction on the skin. This results in unwanted lines, especially on the forehead. 
• Sleeping on your back – This position can help prevent sleep lines, as it does not put any pressure on the sides of your face. Unfortunately, many find this sleeping position slightly uncomfortable. 

Switch to pillowcases

Since not everyone can comfortably sleep on their backs, replacing your cotton pillowcases with silk or satin ones can help. Silk or satin is gentler on the skin than cotton, as it lets your skin glide smoothly against the pillowcase. This eliminates unnecessary friction, as well as pulling and tugging of the skin.

It is also good to know that silk pillowcases are less drying on both skin and hair. There is also less friction on hair with this fabric, which then prevents damage or irritation. Silk, moreover, runs smoothly across your hair, which means there is no unnecessary pulling and tugging when you toss and turn while sleeping. 

Aesthetic treatments for lines and wrinkles

If you already have etched lines or permanent wrinkles, injectable treatment can smooth or relax their appearance. At Cutis Medical Laser Clinics in Singapore, we have Botox and dermal fillers for smoothing lines. Both treatments can help reverse signs of aging for a well-rested and younger-looking appearance.

Botulinum toxin or Botox – This uses a neurotoxin protein that temporarily blocks the signal from a nerve to a muscle. Botox can treat frown lines, forehead lines, wrinkles in the corner of the eyes, and smoker’s lines. The full results of this FDA-cleared anti-wrinkle injectable can take 2 weeks to show and can last between 3 and 6 months.

Dermal fillers – These can be made with hyaluronic acid or calcium-based microspheres. Fillers are used for temporarily filling in lost volume in different areas of the face. They can also fill hollows and lines, reduce the appearance of wrinkles, contour the face, and improve skin hydration. The results can last between 9 and 18 months, depending on the type of dermal filler used. 

Proper skincare and healthy habits, along with the use of injectables, can help you fight wrinkles and other signs of aging. Contact Cutis Medical Laser Clinics in Singapore and schedule a consultation with our aesthetic doctor to learn more about our injectable treatments and other procedures for looking more youthful.