The Skin Nerd: Line up to rectify any 'drinkles' on your face

How to support your skin in your 20s with pro-ageing skincare ingredients

Fine lines commonly crop up on your forehead and around your eyes but they're not as deep as you think. In fact, they're not even proper wrinkles just yet. They're found on our epidermis, which is the surface layer of our skin.

Noticing little lines popping up in your 20s? That's completely natural. I believe in embracing a pro-aging approach when it comes to skincare as these dinky lines are an inevitable effect of growing older and having another birthday — which are gifts in my eyes!

They might start popping up in your 20s because that's when collagen production starts to slow up. The expressive hoomans among us, as well as those that sleep on their front, may see lines that bit earlier, too.

Fine lines commonly crop up on your forehead and around your eyes but they're not as deep as you think. In fact, they're not even proper wrinkles just yet. They're found on our epidermis, which is the surface layer of our skin.

They can be the result of dehydration, under exfoliation, or using the wrong skincare. External factors like UV exposure and free radical activity (often caused by pollution) can also contribute to their depth.

Our fine lines deepen into wrinkles when our structural proteins, collagen and elastin, get damaged, which weakens the dermis, our second layer of skin. 

This happens naturally as we age but it can also be sped up by environmental factors — think UV exposure, pollution, smoking and poor diet.

I believe softening fine lines all comes down to your skincare and lifestyle choices.

For starters, your little lines might be 'drinkles', our nerdie term for the fine wrinkles from dehydration. It's an easy problem to rectify as rehydrating from the inside-out and on top works wonders for diminishing their appearance.

The IMAGE Ageless Total Pure Hyaluronic Filler (€78.50, theskinnerd.com) contains hyaluronic acid at six different molecular weights to hydrate the upper layers of skin and at a surface level. To hydrate from the inside-out, take the Advanced Nutrition Skin Moisture Lock supplements (€91, the skinnerd.com) which are enriched with a blend of ceramides and hyaluronic acid to fortify our skin barrier and protect our skin's moisture stores.

Protecting your skin from UV rays with a daily broad-spectrum SPF will prevent collagen and elastin from degrading, which keeps skin plump and supple. SPF is my holy grail pro-aging prevention ingredient as well as vitamin A to speed up cell renewal and boost collagen production. The Skingredients Skin Protein (€42, theskinnerd.com) is a vitamin A and C serum with a clinically proven pro-collagen peptide to reduce the appearance of fine lines.

I named Skin Shield (€42, theskinnerd.com) because that's exactly what it does: Shield skin from the harmful effects of UVA and UVB rays, HEV (blue light from screens), and pollution. The NeoStrata Sheer Physical Protection SPF 50 (€37.25, theskinnerd.com) is another great choice. It offers UVA and UVB protection, as well as antioxidant protection in the form of green tea, lactobionic acid, and vitamin E, as they neutralise free radical activity.

UV damage can also be the cause of hyperpigmentation, dilated blood vessels, and skin cancer on a more serious note, so you're really doing yourself a solid.

On the exfoliation front, using an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) will loosen the bonds tying dead skin cells to the skin's surface to promote the renewal of healthy cells beneath. A study published in the Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology journal in 2015 states that AHAs increase dermal and epidermal firmness and thickness that reduces the depth of fine lines.

Your lifestyle choices are equally as important. Eating a nutritionally balanced diet with plenty of good fats, vitamins, and antioxidants is essential for skin health. Smoking and alcohol, not so much. Alcohol is a diuretic so its dehydrating to skin, while smoking affects collagen synthesis.

The Nerdie Pick

Environ Tri Bio-Botanical Revival Masque (€67, theskinnerd.com)

The Environ Tri Bio-Botanical Revival Masque is ideal for those dipping their toes into pro-ageing (not anti-aging!) skincare — it's smooth, pillowy skin in a tub. It contains a mocktail of three alpha hydroxy acids — asiatic, lactic, and mandelic acid — to unstick the 'glue' keeping dead skin cells attached to skin to boost cell renewal and collagen production.

Environ said it has formulated a "facelift in a jar" and we must agree. It's suitable for all skin types, and can be used as a 10-20 minute face mask or an overnight treat (just rinse with tepid water in the morning).

Environ Tri Bio-Botanical Revival Masque (€67, theskinnerd.com)