How to Get Rid of Forehead Wrinkles

Our frontalis muscle (forehead muscle) makes our eyebrows one of the most expressive parts of our face, so it is no surprise that many of us struggle with forehead wrinkles. These lines are extremely common and can be particularly challenging to get rid of. Fortunately, there are various ways to address this skincare concern, including adding at-home products with the right active ingredients to your skincare routine, doing facial exercises, or more aggressive solutions such as injections or lasers.

What causes wrinkles on the forehead?

In general, forehead wrinkles are caused by the same factors that result in other facial wrinkles. Most often, these lines are a result of aging and changes within the structure of our skin, including the reduced production of elastin and collagen¹. Elastin is responsible for the skin’s elasticity (or the ability to be stretched and snap back to its original shape). Similarly, collagen helps maintain the skin’s structure and fullness. As these proteins’ natural production slows down and the existing structures become damaged, your skin loses firmness and flexibility, causing lines and wrinkles to become more pronounced.

Different types of forehead wrinkles:

Dynamic wrinkles: These wrinkles develop from repeated facial movement, such as raising your eyebrows often or scrunching your face when squinting. However, they disappear after you relax your muscles. Dynamic wrinkles can become static wrinkles over time.
Static wrinkles: These wrinkles remain after facial muscles become relaxed and result from a loss of skin elasticity.

The forehead and skin are subjected to hundreds of repetitive movements every day, which can ultimately lead to dynamic wrinkles. Consider how many times you move your forehead to express an emotion–whether concentrating, frowning, feeling stressed, or surprised. Naturally, we move our foreheads continuously, and as the elastin in our skin breaks down, it becomes harder for the skin to “spring back” after these movements. As a result, your once temporary facial expression lines settle in as static or fine wrinkles on your forehead.

In addition to the biological processes associated with aging, other factors can increase forehead wrinkles’ presence. Collagen production is slowed, and elastin fibers are weakened at an accelerated rate when getting sun exposure from UV rays that introduce harmful free radicals. Given that our foreheads are exposed to sunlight daily, this can be a significant contributing factor to developing premature wrinkles.

Do forehead wrinkles go away?

Generally speaking, yes. However, the ability to get rid of forehead wrinkles is entirely dependent on how deep they are. In other words, if you begin to use skincare products with specific active ingredients that can help combat the loss of collagen and elastin when your forehead wrinkles are nothing more than a few fine lines, you will likely see success in your efforts. However, if you have deep forehead wrinkles, you may require a more aggressive intervention, such as a Botox injection or laser treatment, to see significant results.

What is the best way to get rid of forehead wrinkles?

There are various treatments for forehead wrinkles, but the effectiveness will depend on the severity of your wrinkles. Whether you are treating fine lines and wrinkles with daily skincare products formulated with key ingredients to reduce wrinkles or opting for a more advanced procedure, you will need to be aware of how to prepare and care for your skin during these processes.

Skincare Ingredients

When choosing skincare products to address forehead lines and other facial wrinkles, you must identify and look for specific ingredients that will help combat all of the factors contributing to the development of wrinkles. Here are some of the most effective ingredients for anti-aging and wrinkle correction or prevention:

Retinol: Retinol is perhaps the most effective skincare ingredient for anti-aging and wrinkle care. The molecules support the skin renewal processes and collagen production, helping to “fill” wrinkles and lines. Our Renewal Retinol is encapsulated in solid lipids to help improve the retinol’s delivery while aiding the skin’s natural collagen production. Although retinol is a powerful ingredient, it can take about three months before its effects are noticeable.
Silver Mushroom: If you have researched anti-aging skincare before, chances are you have heard about hyaluronic acid. Your body naturally produces this clear, gooey substance, and large amounts of it are found in your skin, connective tissue, and eyes. It is essential for anti-aging skincare as its primary function is to retain water, keeping your skin looking plump and full. While most skincare products incorporate a human-made variation of HA, our products utilize silver mushroom: a natural form of hyaluronic acid. This is because silver mushroom has 400x more hydrating properties than other hyaluronic acid forms, giving your skin a burst of hydration and volume.
Tri-Hex Technology®: It is specially formulated to support the skin's ability to clear out damaged proteins while also supporting its natural ability to produce new healthy elastin and collagen. Peptides are amino acids containing the building blocks of specific proteins in the skin, like collagen and elastin. TriHex Technology is the primary ingredient in our Restorative Skin Complex which helps the skin on your face (including your forehead!) maintain a vibrant and youthful appearance. It also helps combat the visible signs of aging by restoring the appearance of volume to thinning skin, skin elasticity, and further skin damage.

Professional Treatments

These methods should only be conducted by an appropriately licensed healthcare provider as they require specific knowledge and equipment to be done safely.

Dermal Fillers and Toxin Injections: Another option is to have toxin injections or derma fillers injected into your forehead. These injectables generally are a gel-like substance composed of hyaluronic acid that fills in wrinkles and adds volume to soft tissues. The results typically last nine to twelve months. If you choose to use injectables, such as a dermal filler, our INhance Post-Injection Serum is a skincare product that can help accelerate your recovery while stimulating the skin’s elastin and collagen production to aid the reversal of forehead wrinkles further.
Laser Resurfacing²: Laser resurfacing is a rejuvenating procedure used to improve the skin’s overall appearance, including reducing deep wrinkles, and can involve ablative or non-ablative lasers. Ablative lasers are a more aggressive wrinkle treatment, removing the top layers of skin and heating the underlying layers to promote collagen production. As the skin heals, it results in smoother and tighter skin. Alternatively, non-ablative lasers are less invasive, without removing the top layers of skin, while still stimulating collagen production below. Although these resurfacing treatments are an effective way to improve skin tone, they cannot eliminate pronounced sagging skin.
Microneedling³: The process of microneedling uses a small facial roller lined with many fine needles to create hundreds of tiny holes in the top layers of your skin. These small tears stimulate the skin’s natural healing process, triggering collagen production. This process also increases the skin susceptibility to skincare products. Following the treatment with our Restorative Skin Complex can amplify the effects during your micro needling aftercare.

An essential step in all of these procedures is to prepare your skin for the treatment. Doing so will enhance the effects of the treatment and protect your skin from further damage. Our post-procedure skincare products are designed to help clear out damaged collagen and elastin in the skin to make room for new production and growth, a vital process to ensure the effectiveness of professional treatments.

Learning how to get rid of forehead wrinkles and how to tighten skin may seem overwhelming at first, but once you understand the processes involved, it can be quite simple. Depending on how deep your wrinkles are, you may want to start with more aggressive treatments and then support the results with specially formulated skincare products. However, for those who address premature wrinkles ahead of time, products with a few key ingredients may be enough to see significant results and help prevent more unwanted wrinkles.

Remember to consult with your dermatologist or other skincare professional before booking a procedure.

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Article Reviewed by Wendy Johnson

Vice President, Marketing

Wendy Johnson brings to Alastin Skincare over 22 years of pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and aesthetics industry experience in various sales, training, marketing and thought leader development roles.

After spending 10 years in gastroenterology at Tap Pharmaceuticals and Prometheus Laboratories, with sales and marketing oversight for in-line and pre-launch products, Mrs. Johnson transitioned to an aesthetic career at SkinMedica in 2004. While there, she was responsible for marketing one of the top 2 branded prescription hydroquinones, launching a leading branded low potency steroid, and oversight of the acne franchise line extensions.

In 2010, Wendy joined Merz North America where she developed and managed the Physician Relations department in support of injectable, topical and device business units under Medical Affairs, before transitioning into managing a Regional Aesthetics Marketing team.