One person who never ages is Kris Kardashian and her infamously pristine daughter, Kim Kardashian. I’ve just entered my twenties but these women look younger than me! And now the question is: how do they do it? I know there’s an extraordinary amount of Botox, diet, and makeup but turns out they have one more secret up their sleeves.
In a candid interview with Allure, Kim K revealed that one of her skills was staying so still in her sleep that she could re-wear her makeup the next day without any major touch-ups. Honestly, that level of discipline is nothing short of remarkable. But in the next parts of the interview, she does claim to be a side sleeper (when she’s not in full glam) and says something else that shook me to my core, “I am a side sleeper, but I do see I have a deeper nasal labial fold on the side of my nose when I do that.” This was a bombshell – sleeping on your side could actually deepen wrinkles?
The Unwelcome Reality of Sleep Wrinkles
According to dermatologists, the pressure exerted by the weight of your head on the pillow can crease your skin, leading to wrinkles. Unlike expression lines, which result from facial movements, sleep wrinkles are caused due to the physical pressure and folding of the skin against your bedding.
As we age, our skin loses collagen, the protein responsible for its elasticity and firmness. This reduction in collagen, starting in our 20s, makes our skin more susceptible to retaining these creases, gradually turning temporary imprints into permanent fixtures on our faces.
While not the sole cause of wrinkles, the position in which we sleep can really exacerbate and accelerate the formation of lines on the face, neck, and chest. This effect is more pronounced in adults due to the natural decrease in skin elasticity with age. Moreover, regular side sleeping can lead to asymmetrical signs of aging, since one side of the face might exhibit more loss in volume and deeper wrinkles compared to the other. Yikes.
So, What Is The Optimal Position For Wrinkle Prevention?
Sleeping on your back might be your best bet. This sleeping position eliminates direct pressure on your face, reducing the risk of developing sleep-induced wrinkles. While transitioning to back sleeping can be challenging for those accustomed to side sleeping, with practice and the strategic use of pillows for support, it’s achievable.
There are a lot of other things you can do as well, as a preventative measure to make sure you’re ageing gracefully. Silk and satin pillowcases are not just luxury items; they’re practical tools in the anti-wrinkle toolkit. Unlike their cotton counterparts, silk and satin provide a smooth surface that reduces friction between your skin and the pillow, leading to fewer sleep lines.
Additionally, supercharging your nighttime routine with the right skincare products like retinol and hyaluronic acid really helps too! Applying an anti-aging cream enriched with these potent ingredients can transform your sleep into a powerful regenerative process.
So while our sleep position does contribute to skin aging, it’s a variable within our control. Making the switch to back sleeping could be a simple yet effective strategy in our overall skincare regimen, helping us preserve our skin’s smoothness and delay the signs of aging.
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