Have you heard about the woman who hasn’t smiled for 40 years in order to avoid laugh lines and other wrinkles? (Yes, this is a real news story.) We don’t recommend forgoing laughter for the sake of your skin. In fact, we encourage laughter! Studies show that it boosts your immune system, relieves physical pain, and lowers stress levels. It may even help you to learn new information. The downside? Laugh lines. More accurately known as nasolabial folds, we’re talking about those parenthesis-like lines that etch their way into the skin on either side of your mouth. These occur when the skin’s structural elements—like collagen and elastin—begin to weaken and deplete, causing the skin to loosen and crease. At the same time, levels of oil production and Hyaluronic Acid also decrease, making skin drier and causing wrinkles to be more apparent. Here’s what you can do:

Peptides, peptides, peptides! Peptides work by helping to increase collagen production by directly communicating with skin cells. This addresses one of the major causes of skin wrinkling.

What are Peptides?> Keep skin well hydrated. Using products that incorporate the missing elements in the skin—collagen, elastin, and hyaluronic acid—is a smart idea. Skin that’s moisturized will look plumper, smoother, and more youthful.

Wear daily sun protection. We say this all the time for a really good reason.

Exfoliate. Removing the dead cells on the surface of the skin has two benefits:

• Reveals fresher skin.
• Boosts product penetration. For example, powerful peptides and hydrating hyaluronic acid have a better shot of doing their jobs on properly exfoliated skin.

Change your diet. Studies show that excessive sugar consumption can actually cause wrinkles.

How sugar affects your skin> Keep smiling. Laughter helps reduce stress, and reducing stress helps slow the aging process!