For consumers concerned about the skin ageing process, wrinkles are often one of the first, and most obvious, tell-tale signs that spring to mind.
However, researchers at the University of Southampton and the University of Cape Town in South Africa, working with colleagues at the University of Stanford in the US, have revealed new insights into what causes wrinkles, which may help the cosmetics industry to develop more effective long term anti-ageing solutions.
Skin moisture plays a major role in the appearance of wrinkles, with micro-wrinkles on the skin's surface, or stratum corneum, becoming noticeably deeper, larger and more visible as the skin becomes dryer, such as on long-haul flights.
While previous solutions for the prevention and treatment of wrinkles have been mainly focused on biochemical approaches, such as creams, the researchers developed 3D computer models to gain a biomechanical perspective on the conditions that cause certain types of micro-wrinkles.
These models may make it possible for the cosmetics industry to develop more effective and longer term solutions to delay the appearance of wrinkles and effects of skin ageing, according to the researchers.
Dr Georges Limbert, Associate Professor in Mathematical Modelling in Biophysics at Southampton’s Centre for Advanced Tribology and the Biomechanics and Mechanobiology Laboratory at the University of Cape Town and lead author of the study published in scientific journal Soft Matter, said: “The underlying mechanical principles that condition the morphologies and patterns of wrinkles are essential in evaluating, and ultimately predicting, how an ageing or aged skin interacts with its environment.
“This also holds the promise to provide fundamental insights into the physiology and biophysics of skin in health, disease and ageing.”