The No. 1 Way to Hide Your Wrinkles, Experts Say
Dermatologists and skincare experts explain how to keep your skin smooth as you age.
Unfortunately, there's no way to completely avoid wrinkles—everything from what you do with your day to how you sleep can encourage them to form. Thankfully, there are ways to camouflage them. If the thought of undergoing Botox is alarming and you've tried every type of makeup around to cover them up, you might be missing one of the easiest ways to diminish them. It's not applying more makeup—which can actually accentuate them—and it's not expensive procedures. Read on to find out what dermatologists, skincare experts, and makeup artists recommend to hide your wrinkles.
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There's one easy way to reduce your wrinkles.
The most important skincare step when hiding your wrinkles is to keep skin hydrated. Of course, that means drinking lots of water, but it also includes using products that will provide ample hydration.
Celebrity makeup artist Nydia Figueroa says, "The number one step to hiding wrinkles is to keep the skin hydrated and to really maintain a healthy lifestyle overall like drinking plenty of water."
Lynnette Cole, Global Education Director for PÜR Beauty and licensed esthetician, says "keeping skin hydrated is key in minimizing the look of wrinkles." Cole also suggests "drinking plenty of water, hitting snooze to get your sleep, and incorporating retinol, gentle exfoliants, and sunscreen into your daily routine."
There are products that can help.
Drinking plenty of water and still not seeing results? Maybe it's time to step up your game with hydrating products. Figueroa's recommendation is hyaluronic acid, which naturally occurs in the skin, eyes, and joints. According to Medical News Today, it works to "trap water inside tissue cells, keeping the eyes moist and the joints lubricated." The hyaluronic acid your body produces decreases naturally as you age, so you'll need to use products that include it as an ingredient.
Figueroa uses hyaluronic acid to combat wrinkles "because it not only moisturizes dry skin, but it also helps promote collagen."
Makeup artist Mary Winkenwerder agrees that hyaluronic acid is your best bet, because it helps to "enrich the wrinkled area with vital moisture and works to quickly hydrate the skin." Winkenwerder suggests stepping up the hyaluronic acid by also using a foundation with the ingredient. Apply the foundation with a brush and not with your fingers. "Using your fingers to apply makeup tends to tug on the surface of the skin; this tugging action with pressure encourages wrinkles," she says.
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Add retinoids to your routine.
Enrizza P. Factor, MD, clinical dermatologist and medical and health writer with MyEczemaTeam, proposes adding retinoids, a class of compounds derived from vitamin A, to your beauty routine to "reduce fine lines and wrinkles by increasing the production of collagen." Factor explains that retinoids "also stimulate the production of new blood vessels in the skin, which improves skin color." Retinoids will help fade age spots, making for a smoother makeup application process. If your skin is smooth, there will be fewer creases for the makeup to gather in.
Melissa Urban, licensed esthetician and skincare expert of beauty app Skinforyou, recommends using a retinoid two or three times a week at night. She explains, "Retinoids help increase cell turnover on the skin and work to smooth out texture over time."
Use face oil as the last step in your routine.
Heather Smith, owner of bareLUXE Skincare, explains that one of the "most important things about hiding wrinkles is to make sure the makeup you're wearing does not settle into them," which happens if your skin isn't hydrated.
Smith suggests "using a face oil as the last step in your moisturizing routine will help keep your skin moisturized and prevent water loss." According to Smith, a nourishing oil—like squalane or rosehip—works best since they're suitable for all skin types and won't cause blemishes. Using a face oil can help lock in the other products you've put on to guarantee hydration during the day and while you sleep.
Squalane helps moisturize and protect the skin. It also helps "improve texture and boosts any skincare you apply on top of it," per Medical News Today. As Cole notes, "Squalane is an ingredient that is known for mimicking the skin's natural oil, so it's perfect to apply to the skin, no matter your skin type."
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