Surprising Ways to Reduce Wrinkles

If you really want to keep your skin looking young, start with the essentials:

• Avoid the sun.
• Wear a broad spectrum sunscreen.
• Wear sun protective clothing (long sleeves and pants).
• Don't smoke.
• Use moisturizer.

When you sleep in certain positions night after night, it leads to "sleep lines" -- wrinkles that become etched into the top layers of skin and don't fade once you're up. Sleeping on your side leads to wrinkles on cheeks and chin, while sleeping face down gives you a furrowed brow. 

Salmon (along with other cold-water fish) is a great source of protein, one of the building blocks of great skin. It also has plenty of omega-3 fatty acids. Experts say essential fatty acids nourish skin and keep it plump and youthful, and that can help minimize wrinkles.

Any facial expression that you do over and over (like squinting) overworks facial muscles and makes grooves beneath the skin's surface. Eventually those grooves become wrinkles. So keep those eyes wide: Wear reading glasses if you need them. And get savvy about sunglasses. They can protect skin around the eyes from sun damage and keep you from squinting.

These natural acids lift away the top layer of dead skin cells. That helps reduce the appearance of pores, fine lines, and surface wrinkles, especially around the eyes. Stronger forms of AHAs may help boost collagen production in your skin. That’s a protein that gives your skin strength and firmness. Using AHAs can make your skin more sensitive to the sun, so wear sunscreen every day.

Tap water strips skin of moisture and natural oils that protect against wrinkles. If you wash your face too often, you wash away its protection. Use a soap with moisturizers, or a gel or cream cleanser instead.

Some studies have found that creams with vitamin C can boost the amount of collagen your skin makes. Vitamin C, protects against damage from UVA and UVB rays, and helps reduce redness, dark spots and uneven skin tone. You have to use a skin product with the right type of vitamin C, though. L-ascorbic acid may be the best for wrinkle relief. You may also see a vitamin C ingredient listed as ascorbyl palmitate.

Soy may improve the appearance of your skin and  protect it, too. Studies suggest soy applied to the skin or taken as a supplement (not as food) may help protect against or even heal some sun damage. It can help your skin's structure and firmness, and even out skin tone.

Try a tasty wrinkle-reducing drink. One study shows that cocoa with high levels of two antioxidants (epicatechin and catechin) protects skin from sun damage, improves blood flow to skin cells, keeps moisture in, and makes skin look and feel smoother.