Medically Reviewed June 2023, by Dr Meriem Martins, Medical Director, for sk:n. Next review due June 2024.

The most important thing when it comes to treating wrinkles is having the right treatment that will make the biggest impact. To our practitioners, wrinkles are just wrinkles, and deeper, more prominent wrinkles can be treated as easily as fine lines. Before booking a treatment plan to target deep wrinkles and fine lines, it’s helpful to know why some wrinkles are deeper than others and how they occur. 

Wrinkles are your body’s way of showing you your skin is ageing. They are caused by gradual dermal shifts in the skin’s foundation. There are three layers that make up the skin, and ageing noticeably affects the first two layers: the epidermis and dermis. The epidermis is the skin’s surface that visibly shows lines and wrinkles, but the dermis is where the structural changes occur that cause them. 

The dermal layer of skin is a dense, elastic tissue made mostly from collagen and elastin. It is responsible for giving the skin its strength, flexibility and reliance. However, each year collagen and elastin levels diminish by 1% which causes the skin to lose volume, sag, crease and have less ability to spring back into place. Wrinkles are often exacerbated by sun exposure, smoking, pollution and repeated facial expressions too. 

Fine lines and wrinkles difference

There are two types of wrinkles: dynamic and static wrinkles. Dynamic wrinkles are the fine, surface-level wrinkles that are caused when the facial muscles are contracted and usually fade once they’re relaxed.

Static wrinkles, on the other hand, are present even when the muscles are not moving. These lines are deeper and can become more pronounced with age. Fine lines generally become static wrinkles over time and by targeting them early on, you can help to slow the progression of deep wrinkles. 

Best treatments for fine lines

As fine lines are usually mild and close to the skin’s surface, there is a range of non-invasive, epidermal treatments that can help to significantly improve their appearance. These treatments are also effective to have alongside deep wrinkle treatments. Some of the best ones are:

• HydraFacial – an elevated facial that uses six steps to brighten, clean, reduce fine lines and improve the look of deeper set wrinkles too. HydraFacials can also be tailored to have an enhancing, anti-ageing effect by increasing the amount of active ingredients used within each facial.
• Skin Peels – another professional treatment that focuses on improving the health of the epidermis through skin cell renewal. Chemical peels can become more advanced depending on the wrinkle severity and help to improve fine lines plus the overall texture, tone and health of the skin.
• Microdermabrasion – this treatment is great for sensitive skin and is known for its simple, but deep exfoliating abilities. Whilst microdermabrasion is not as effective at treating wrinkles, it helps to increase circulation, promote a healthier, brighter appearance and soften the skin, which may overall help to improve aged skin. This is a beneficial treatment to have within any anti-ageing routine.

Best treatment for deep wrinkles 

Deep wrinkles can be reduced using the same treatments outlined above, however a more concentrated approach would be more effective in completely eradicating their appearance.  

For deep wrinkles treatment, we recommend the following:

Anti-ageing injectables

Injectables are extremely fast, convenient and effective treatments for smoothing deep set wrinkles across the mouth, eyes and forehead. They act almost like a deep wrinkle filler made from the naturally occurring hyaluronic acid, to physically fill the space between the furrow and the skin, and calm overactive muscles. The filler binds to the muscle receptors temporarily, causing the muscles to relax and leave you with a smoother complexion.

Dermal fillers

Another way to target deep wrinkles and fine lines. This type of filler works to restore volume, smooth lines and lift sunken areas of the face. This treatment is especially helpful in targeting deep eye wrinkles (known as tear trough treatment) sunken cheeks, prominent glabellar lines and mouth lines. Dermal fillers also have contouring abilities which can help you create a more defined look – with natural looking results. 

At sk:n, we endorse the world-renowned brand Juvéderm®. Juvéderm is different from other fillers because of its patented technology, and similarly to our anti-injectable treatments, it is mainly formulated of hyaluronic acid. 

Hyaluronic acid has incredible water retention abilities, and whilst it is able to keep the skin firm and plump, it can also hold over double of its weight in water to keep the dermis hydrated.

Juvéderm is special because it ensures natural looking beauty. Looking ‘frozen’ is a fear of many when undergoing injectable treatments, but Juvéderm works to blend into the skin’s tissue seamlessly, ensuring your wrinkles are removed – without the obviousness of having work done.

Laser resurfacing

A skin rejuvenating treatment that uses light energy to penetrate the deep layers of skin. This treatment is very useful at eradicating deeply set wrinkles, folds and furrows. The laser light beams dissolve damaged skin cells and stimulate collagen production for beautifully glowing, younger looking skin.

Microneedling

Microneedling is a non-injectable approach, suitable for alleviating deeply set wrinkles by encouraging skin cell renewal and artificially stimulating the production of collagen. It works by gently sweeping ultra-fine needles across the face to cause tiny punctures in the skin to trigger skin cell regeneration. As the skin repairs the tiny trauma marks, collagen and elastin are released to give the skin an immediate plumping effect.  

The treatment itself has many different levels, one being the use of a rolling device (a dermaroller), a pen or an electronic probe. For deep set wrinkles, we recommend the microneedling pen as during the treatment, a solution of hyaluronic acid, minerals, vitamins and peptides – all essential anti-ageing ingredients – saturates the skin throughout the session.

The pen is especially useful for targeting deep lines because of its ability to focus on localised areas of concern. The treatment’s intensity can also be adjusted depending on the severity of your lines too.

Profhilo®

Profhilo® is a type of injectable rejuvenation treatment, and unlike dermal fillers it is not designed to add volume to the skin, or restrict movement in the facial muscles. Instead, this anti-ageing hydration treatment contains high levels of hyaluronic acid (HA), a naturally occurring compound which helps improve tone, texture and elasticity. Profhilo® is usually administered into the skin in five key areas (when administered to the face): the tops of cheeks, side of the face, lines around the mouth, nasolabial folds and laughter lines. It can also be used to improve the appearance of the skin around the neck, chest and décolletage.

Key Learnings

• Deep wrinkles can be treated as easily as fine lines
• Combination approaches work especially well to enhance deep wrinkle treatments
• Fine lines usually turn into deep wrinkles throughout the years and preventative caution should be taken to stop them from deeply developing 
• Deep wrinkles are caused by an aged dermis and sun exposure, smoking, pollution and repetitive facial expressions can accelerate their formation also

For everything wrinkle-related, here are all the anti-ageing treatments we have on offer.

Click here to book your free consultation and get started on your journey towards greater confidence.