If you want to predict your health and beauty future, don’t look in the mirror—look at your relatives. Did your mom’s “11s”—those little lines in between the brows—come in early for her? Did your dad’s laugh lines appear before you did?

If that’s the case, fear not. You can embrace the face they gave you—while preserving it at the same time. And you don’t have to wait for lines to show to begin your age-defying beauty regimen, which can help ward off wrinkles before they’re a problem.

How Wrinkles Form and How to Stave Them Off

Wrinkles have many origins. First, according to the Mayo Clinic, there are the ones you exacerbate through environmental factors such as smoking, which affects your blood supply to your skin and elsewhere, as well as exposure to UV rays, because the sun can wreak havoc on unprotected skin and pummels your collagen and elastin in the deeper dermis layer—and those are basically the connective tissues holding everything together.

Clearly, smoking and staying in the sun are things you can control. Other factors that you don’t really have a say in our facial expressions that, when repeated throughout your lifetime, can create a groove in the facial muscle, which, over time, doesn’t spring back into place as easily. And when you’re not using those small facial muscles, you’re not creating wrinkles that will show up years down the line.

And then there are the genes that become more evident as you age: some people just look young forever, while most people see less elasticity in their skin and less oil production, which results in looser skin and more defined lines.

Some defensive strategies you can take include

● Botox: Botox is an injectable substance called a “neuromodulator” derived from botulinum toxin A, an FDA-approved therapeutic muscle-relaxing agent that, when applied precisely to a muscle, can weaken it and soften (or eliminate) the appearance of crow’s feet and other facial wrinkles and fine lines, lift the brows, turn up the lips and soften the chin. Results last three to six months.

“More and more Millennials are requesting Botox to prevent wrinkle formation as opposed to correcting the wrinkles once they appear. It is thought that perhaps this preemptive use will negate the need for surgical aging correction for a long time,” reads a report about preventative Botox on the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) website.

The ASPS reports 64% of its members said that in 2017 they’d seen a 28% increase in Botox procedures for people in their 20s since 2010. And that trend shows no sign of a decline.

● Skin resurfacing: Clear + Brilliant is a mild laser treatment, which takes about 20 minutes and is most effective when you work it into your regular beauty routine every few weeks, just like you’d schedule a hair appointment. It gets rid of tiny spots on the skin’s outer layers as new, healthy skin replaces it. Results include a more even and radiant skin tone and texture.

● Medical-grade skin care products: When you invest in your skincare, you’re actually saving money on repairs down the road (and you’re also not wasting money on the endless search for cheap products that just don’t work). Try the ZO Skin Health and Alastin lines to get the most out of your youthful skin now and for years to come.

● HydraFacial: Regular HydraFacial deep clean and exfoliate, and they deliver scientifically advanced peptides, antioxidants and hyaluronic acids to your skin. This helps correct environmental damage and protect from future damage.

How to Decide When and Where to Use Treatments

As with any medical procedure, you’ll want to work with a qualified professional—this isn’t the time to go bargain hunting. But that’s why we’re here. OrangeTwist professionals will work closely with you to help understand your beauty goals and provide expert counsel and expertise. Connect with us today for your free consultation.