The wrinkles on our skin are like words in a book: Each line tells a story. 

Wrinkles are more than just a product of aging; they are maps that guide us through an individual’s emotional history, genetic tendencies, and lifestyle habits. 

Learning about wrinkles is useful for:

• art
• behavioral science
• cosmetology
• dermatology
• plastic surgery
• special effects makeup
• and many other areas of study

Each field has its own motive for studying wrinkles, and as a consequence, each field has a unique contribution toward the overall understanding of wrinkle characteristics.

To gain a comprehensive understanding of wrinkle types and features, I pulled sources from cosmetology, dermatology, and plastic surgery journals. I leveraged these sources while examining portraits from photojournalist, Berke Arakli. I encourage everyone to venture into studies from other disciplines. Exploring information outside of your respective field will teach you more than you could ever learn from staying in your lane; it is enlightening.

WTF is a “wrinkle”?

While I was writing this piece, I started to question where to draw the line (lol) on what is considered a “wrinkle.” Funnily enough, 

“The literature appears quite confusing because there is no consensus about the definition of such terms as wrinkle, rhytid, crinkle, crease, groove, line and furrow.”

Despite the lack of consensus of what it means to be a “wrinkle,” I was able identify a few different wrinkle classifications. 

Dynamic and Static Wrinkles

There two are major types:

• dynamic
• Static

Dynamic Wrinkles

Dynamic wrinkles (also referred to as “dynamic expression lines”) are formed from repeated facial expressions. 

NOTE: There was also a discrepancy in the definition of “dynamic wrinkles.” Some sources claimed that dynamic wrinkles are only present during the formation of an expression but disappear once that expression is released. Other sources claimed that dynamic wrinkles referred to the formation of wrinkles over time caused by repeated expression movement. Due to the ambiguity in a definition consensus, I’m going to define dynamic wrinkles on my own terms.

Melinda’s dynamic wrinkle definition: