The Neglected Importance of Sleep on the Formation and Aggravation of Facial Wrinkles and Their Prevention

The duration of sleep and the position of the face while resting on a pillow have a negative impact on the facial skin appearance and may lead to the formation of sleep wrinkles. Sleep lines occur when there is repetitive, long-term tension on the facial skin, which pushes or pulls the skin in a direction that is perpendicular to the direction of the muscles of the face. These lines tend to be more vertically oriented than expression lines and can be found on the forehead, around the eyebrows, the eyes, the cheeks, the chin, and the nasolabial folds. Our studies revealed that the average reduction of wrinkles in total investigated area of the face (expressed as the density of wrinkle per surface skin) was approximately 12% after 28 days of sleep on a specially-designed pillow. The specially designed anti-wrinkle pillows eliminate the pressure on the cheeks, the eyes and the mouth during sleep. Many such pillows have been designed to reduce the aging process and to encourage users to sleep in specific positions. Evidence supporting the claim that a special pillow prevents wrinkles was presented. Nevertheless, prolonged human studies are required to further elucidate the role of sleeping on appearance of facial wrinkles.