When guessing someone's age, we tend to look at their face first as the face shows fine lines and wrinkles which may give us a clue. The face, however, can be very deceiving as some younger people may have many lines and wrinkles and older people may have very few. What determines how many lines and wrinkles are in a face and what can you do to reduce these lines and wrinkles naturally?
Emotion and Your Face
You can find a great deal of information online concerning the external factors and internal factors which cause fine lines and wrinkles in your face. One factor that seems to get overlooked, however, is emotion.
Since 6th century B.C., the Chinese have practiced the art of face reading. Face reading involves all areas of the face including lines and wrinkles. By looking at the horizontal and vertical fine lines and wrinkles in your face, you can determine how you felt about what has happened in your life and what emotion or activity you may have experienced repeatedly (Haner, 2008).
Horizontal wrinkles tend to come from experiences you believe were important in your life which held great emotion for you. These could be such things as marriage, divorce, the birth of your children and/or the death of a pet, and many others varied experiences.
Vertical wrinkles come from patterns of expressions associated with certain emotions which you experience over and over again. For instance, two vertical lines between the eyebrows can show frustration and anger or great concentration and effort, maybe both.
Three Types of People without Wrinkles
When you see a person who has very few or no wrinkles on their face, despite their age, they will be one of three types of people (Haner, 2008). The first is a person who suppresses their emotion as they do not believe it is safe to feel. Since they do not allow themselves to feel their emotions, they do not make any repeated expressions to allow fine lines and wrinkles to appear.
The second is a person who has been very sheltered and has had very few emotional experiences. Heavy wrinkles and lines can appear in this person's face quickly if there is suddenly a traumatic event involving strong emotions. This is particular problematic for individuals who rarely experience stress, as he/she may not have well-developed coping mechanisms.
The last type of person understands that emotion is meant to be felt and then released. There is no holding onto emotions which no longer serve their purpose. During an emotional event, this person can have lines or wrinkles appear on their face, but once the emotion is felt and released. the lines will disappear.
Reducing the Wrinkles
Emotions, oftentimes, get stuck within you. An emotion of deep anger may surface when you think about spousal abuse, perhaps because you went through something similar yourself or know someone who did. This anger may have caused two deep lines to appear in between your eyes which get deeper whenever you re-experience this type of anger.
If you realize that the time has passed and you have survived, moved on, and are wiser for it, you will be able to release the emotion. You will, then, notice that those two lines appear to be getting less prominent in your face. They may never disappear completely, but they will not be as easily noticeable.
Perhaps you have had a teenager who has given you an incredible challenge. Worry lines or wrinkles can appear in your forehead during these trying times. Once the teenager has grown up and moved out and you see their life moving forward in a good way, you can release those worries and watch the wrinkles and lines fade away. However, if you have another teenager, the wrinkles may get deeper due to being worried that you will go through all the same experiences with this teenager. If you can realize that each teenager is their own person and allow the second one to experience whatever comes, you may be able to release some of the worry and reduce these worry lines and wrinkles. After all, you probably did not have worry wrinkles at all, or as heavily, before your experiences with your first teenager.
Take the Time to Explore Your Emotions
If you do not know when you're making an expression that leads to lines or wrinkles, simply place a piece of tape over the area (Haner, 2008). When it pulls, you know you are making the expression that creates the line or wrinkle. Consider what you are thinking or feeling at that moment and get to the root of it, then work on releasing it. In this way, instead of spending money on wrinkle remover creams, you will be able to reduce your wrinkles naturally.
Sources
- External Factors for Wrinkles. Accessed May 2011.
- Internal Factors for Wrinkles. Accessed May 2011.
- Chinese Face Reading. Accessed May 2011.
- Jean Haner, The Wisdom of Your Face - Change Your Life with Chinese Face Reading, Hay House Inc., 2008.
Join the Conversation