In our 20’s our bodies naturally stop producing as much collagen, a key protein the body naturally produces that gives your skin strength and elasticity. The decrease in collagen reduces  skin’s elasticity and suppleness, which can lead to the development of fine lines and wrinkles. 

The first signs of aging are typically fine lines that develop due to lifestyle factors. Think about  your environment, level of sun exposure, your diet and exercise regimen and how well you take care of yourself. These are all lifestyle factors that can affect the look and feel of your skin and contribute to the signs of aging like wrinkles and lines developing on your face and neck. 

Other factors that can lead to lines and wrinkles developing even at a young age are behavioral factors. When we’re talking about behaviors, we’re looking at things like your skin care routine, your approach to beauty and make up and of course, how you express yourself. 

Not taking care of your skin by not removing makeup everyday or not applying sunscreen to protect from harmful UV rays will age your skin significantly. Making sure you cleanse and wear a UV blocking sunscreen are behaviors you can learn and improve as your anti aging routine grows and develops. Adopting a preventative approach to anti aging is key in ensuring your skin is healthy and supple. 

Having a solid skincare routine will do a lot to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles that start to appear. Typically these first wrinkles are caused by expressions. As the collagen in your skin depletes, the cushioning it provides is reduced, allowing lines to form along the lines of your facial muscles. 

You’ll notice a distinct pattern in these expression wrinkles. They tend to form on your forehead as frown lines, around the eyes as crows feet from smiling or squinting and around the mouth as smile lines. Expression wrinkles can be treated by cosmetic treatments like botox or fillers or by the consistent use of topical treatments that aim to smooth and soften the skin. 

Topical and cosmetic treatments however are no match for sleep wrinkles. These wrinkles are deeper than expression lines since they’re not formed by behavior and environmental factors. Sleep lines are formed by the forces of compression, tension and shearing from movement as you sleep.

Did you know that we spend about one third of our lives asleep? That’s a lot of time! When we sleep we get to enjoy the feeling of slumber and drifting off and away into our dreams. Our bodies, on the other hand, are feeling the physical weight of gravity pushing down. 

When we sleep, our faces absorb around 5kg or 11lbs of weight. The skin on our face, neck and chest is some of the thinnest and most delicate on our body. The excessive amount of force being pushed into our faces leads to the development of compression lines, or sleep wrinkles.

Though we can treat or reduce expression lines and wrinkles with cosmetic or topical treatments, sleep wrinkles are a different story. Using specialty sleep support to reduce facial compression and prevent the skin pulling is the best way to prevent sleep lines from forming. 

So, there is good news! Reducing the appearance of sleep wrinkles is possible with the right sleep support. 

The best way to support your skin while you sleep is with the support of an anti aging pillow like the Beauty Pillow. 

The Beauty Pillow’s patented design features 6 sleep zones designed to support your head and neck in sleep and reduce facial compression. The Beauty Pillow features an elevated design to stimulate blood flow and increase lymphatic drainage. Increasing circulation helps to reduce the impact of overnight compression.  

Traditional pillows increase facial compression and restrict blood flow which can lead to a puffy face and contribute to dark under eye bags. With Beauty Pillow, the slight elevation of the high quality VISCO memory foam promotes better circulation in the face, reducing morning puffiness and dark eye bags. 

Beauty Pillow’s unique sleep zones features the head cradle to support your head and help maintain your position in sleep. Sleeping on your back is the optimal position for real beauty sleep. Sleeping on your back reduces facial compression, reducing the likelihood of deep set sleep wrinkles forming. Side sleepers will also enjoy the cradle as it helps to reduce the amount of movement in sleep. 

Reducing or restricting movement in sleep can help you enjoy a longer, deeper sleep and prevent sleep wrinkles that develop from facial shearing. 

The way you sleep and what you sleep on make a huge difference in how your face responds to the effects of nightly compression and facial shearing. Sleeping on your back is the optimal position for preserving your skin’s elasticity and preventing lines and creases from forming. 

Sleeping on your side might be comfortable, but it can lead to excessive compression along one side of your face. Favoring one side on your sleep is perfectly natural, however the repeated contact with your face and pillow can lead to facial asymmetry. The development of an asymmetry in the face and facial muscles means one side of your face will be more heavily wrinkled or perhaps even sag more than the other. 

Sleeping on an anti aging pillow like the Beauty Pillow will help to prevent the development of facial asymmetry. The Beauty Pillows design features cut outs and head positioning zones that help to center the head, for comfortable overnight positioning. The cut outs reduce the amount of facial contact with the pillow helping to prevent facial shearing and reducing the impact of overnight compression that leads to deep set sleep lines. 

Sleeping on your stomach tends to be the worst position in terms of sleep wrinkle development. This is due to the high number of contact points between your body and your pillow and mattress. Sleeping on your stomach increases the likelihood of compression lines forming. Reducing the amount of contact between your face, neck and chest is key to stopping the formation of sleep lines and wrinkles. Alternating your position and adjusting your sleep with the aid of a sleep support pillow is recommended for long term skin support. 

Stomach sleepers often sleep with their hands under their head, which also increases the likelihood of friction and skin pulling. Increased friction between your face and the pillow or your skin can lead to skin irritation on the surface and micro-tears developing under the skin’s top layer. 

Traditional pillows tend to get flatter and more tightly packed with use. This increases the tension that pushes upwards into your face while you sleep - no matter the position. The Beauty Pillow is made out of high quality VISCO memory foam and is designed to maintain its shape, reducing the amount of tension pressed into your face in sleep. 

Reducing the tension is key to preventing lines from forming. Boosting your Beauty Pillow with a Skin+ Pillowcase or a Silk Pillowcase (or both!) will help to reduce the friction between your face and your pillow. 

Friction occurs from the natural movement of your face against your pillow when you shift positions in sleep. Traditional pillowcases are made out of cotton and are often rough to the touch. Tossing and turning in sleep drags your face across the surface of your pillow, pulling at the delicate skin on your face and neck. 

Adding a Silk Pillowcase by Beauty Pillow to your bedtime routine will reduce nightly skin pulling, reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and preventing irritation. Silk’s naturally smooth fibers allow your skin and hair to slide gently across the fabric of your pillowcase. No tugging, pulling or scratching. 

Silk is especially beneficial for skincare enthusiasts looking to reduce irritation, redness and breakouts. Silk naturally wicks away moisture, unlike traditional pillow cases which absorb moisture, oil and topical products. Partnering your Silk Pillowcase with the Beauty Pillow will mean less transference of sebum and oil to your face and hair, for a brighter, fresher face every day.