Easy Products and Techniques to Manage Wrinkles Over Age 50

4. Add a separate eye cream.

Want results you’ll notice right away? Add an eye cream to your routine. The eye area is the thinnest and driest area on the face (no oil glands here!) and is constantly moving due to repeated facial expressions. An eye cream delivers improvement to crow’s feet, crepey skin and crinkles faster than the rest of the face. You can use your face cream, but a separate eye product addresses eye wrinkles in a more focused way.

Decide first whether you want a rich, soothing cream, a cooling and refreshing gel-cream, a lightweight serum or an overnight slam-dunk firmer with retinol (yes, retinol), then drill down to the ingredients. Look for formulas that emphasize peptides, caffeine or retinol (either on the package or topping the ingredient list) to tighten and firm lines, or hyaluronic acid to plump them up. Good ingredients include calming, cooling botanicals like cucumber extract or green tea, and vitamin C to brighten the eye area. Olay Super Eyes Daily Eye Serum ($40, target.com) contains caffeine, peptides, aloe vera and vitamin C; Cetaphil Hydrating Eye Gel-Cream ($19, cvs.com) is a hyaluronic acid formula; and La Roche-Posay Redermic R Eyes Retinol Eye Cream ($50, walgreens.com) contains hyaluronic acid and caffeine. And in case you’re still wondering, applying Preparation H to the eye area is a hard no. It does constrict blood vessels and reduce puffiness, but the package clearly states no facial use.

(From left) Wander Beauty Baggage Claim Rose Gold Eye Masks; Summer Fridays Jet Lag Eye Patches; Peter Thomas Roth Peptide Skinjection Hydra-Gel Patches.

AARP (Macy’s; Kohl’s, 2)

 5. Apply wrinkle patches for a fast fix.

Who hasn’t been tempted by the wrinkle-smoothing promise of a creamy facial mask? Thanks to TikTok and Instagram, adhesive stick-ons are providing a no-mess mask alternative.

Pre-infused with wrinkle-plumping and firming ingredients, stick-ons offer a quick fix to wake up a tired face when applied for 10 to 20 minutes — the time it takes to do your hair, have coffee or check your email.

The most useful for women over 50 are those designed for the eyes or the eye and forehead area. Summer Fridays Jet Lag Eye Patches ($24 for 6 pairs, kohls.com) have glycerin, hyaluronic acid, caffeine and peptides; Peter Thomas Roth Peptide Skinjection Hydra-Gel Patches ($65, sephora.com) have built-in peptides and hyaluronic acid; and Wander Beauty Baggage Claim Rose Gold Eye Masks ($22 for 6, macys.com) feature peptides and aloe vera. Wrinkle patches are not a long-term solution or a miracle alternative to serums, creams and dermatological procedures, but they can provide a boost that will last through a big event, a date or a meeting.

(From left) Quince 100% Mulberry Silk Pillowcase; Kitsch Satin Pillowcase; Blissy 22-Momme Silk Pillowcase.

AARP (Quince, Target, Macy’s)

 6. Buy a silk pillowcase, and sleep on two pillows.

I’m betting your usual sleeping position is facedown or on your side. Neither helps the wrinkle situation. Side-sleepers usually have more wrinkles on the side of the face they sleep on, in addition to more wrinkling on their décolletage area. Stomach-sleepers smoosh their face into their pillow, which exacerbates forehead lines and expression lines around the eyes and lips. Retraining yourself to sleep on your back is best — and plastic surgeons suggest this all the time — but it isn’t easy.

Instead, try mimimizing snooze damage by using a silk or satin pillowcase like the Quince 100% Mulberry Silk Pillowcase, King, in Terracotta ($45, quince.com, also available in standard and queen, 10 colors); the Kitsch Satin Pillowcase ($22, target.com, available in six colors); or the Blissy 22-Momme Silk Pillowcase, Queen ($98, macys.com, available in standard and king, 24 colors). It’ll also minimize those sleep creases that don’t disappear till noon, plus reduce bedhead and hair breakage,. In addition, try elevating your head with a second pillow to help drain fluid retention and prevent morning puffiness.

(From left) Clinique Smart Clinical Repair Lifting Face + Neck Cream; DRMTLGY Advanced Neck Cream; StriVectin TL Advanced Tightening Neck Cream Plus.

AARP (Kohl’s, 2; DRMTLGY)

 7. Give neck wrinkles a going-away gift.

No, it’s not a wrinkle-camouflaging pearl choker or a cashmere turtleneck. It’s a smoother, confidence-boosting neck. If you haven’t been cleansing, moisturizing and applying sunscreen to your neck every time you do your face, start now. It’s not too late, even though neck wrinkles are often the result of years of neglect. You should be extending all your face care right down to your collarbones (though many dermatologists and aestheticians advise going right down to your cleavage).

The same firming, plumping, hydrating and rejuvenating ingredients that work chin-up for your face — hyaluronic acid, peptides, ceramides, shea butter, even retinol and bakuchiol — also work for the neck. Thin neck skin is also vulnerable to sensitivity, so do it a favor and test retinol on a small area before going full steam ahead. Always stroke upward from the collarbones toward the chin to reduce gravity and the drag of downward strokes.

Good options for the neck include your usual face skin care, combination faceand-neck creams like Clinique Smart Clinical Repair Lifting Face + Neck Cream ($62, ulta.com) with peptides and hyaluronic acid (yes, it’s a marketing thing but a reminder, too); or a separate neck cream like StriVectin TL Advanced Tightening Neck Cream Plus ($59, kohls.com), with peptides and botanicals; or DRMTLGY Advanced Neck Cream ($54, drmtlgy.com) with peptides, ceramides, glycerin and shea butter.

High-tech at-home devices that use LED red-light therapy and/or microcurrents are a trendy option. Do they work? Some say yes, others, no.

Ultrasound treatments at your dermatologist’s office over several months can help trigger collagen and elastin production to tighten loose, crinkled neck skin and improve the appearance of horizontal lines, stringy vertical bands and saggy wrinkles. Injecting Botox into the platysma muscle in the neck may also work. This injection can soften the appearance of strong vertical bands and horizontal bands.

The final and most important word for neck wrinkles? Stop looking down at your phone and laptop! This habit accentuates what’s known as “tech neck” — extra creases and sag. Instead, start holding your phone up to eye level, and set your laptop higher up, like on a stack of books.

8. Let Botox injections stop wrinkles cold.

Who hasn’t done or at least considered Botox? It’s the dermatological equivalent of wearing shapewear 24/7 and lasts three to six months. Here’s the inside story. Injections of Botox or Dysport, the other popular “neuromodulator,” can relax wrinkles and prevent new ones from forming. Both are derived from Botulinum toxin. But there’s a difference in usage. Some dermatologists prefer Botox for fine lines and wrinkles, like those around the lips, crow’s feet and shallow forehead creases, and use Dysport for larger, deeper forehead wrinkles and the “11s” between the brows. Your dermatologist will determine the best treatment for you. Cost depends on how many units (syringes of Botox or Dysport) you need, but expect between $500 to $1,000 per injection site. Price varies depending on where you live, the dermatologist’s skill level and experience, and the depth and extent of your wrinkles.

Trying to decide between the two? Botox and Dysport are ideal for freezing upper-face expression lines like those forehead creases, while fillers are better for lower-face grooves like nasolabial folds and marionette lines. Do your face a favor and see a board-certified dermatologist experienced in Botox, not your nail salon. You still want your face to be healthy and look natural, not tight as a hard-boiled egg.

Hyaluronic acid-based fillers like Juvéderm and Restylane can plump up deeper lines.

Getty Images

9. Fill ’em up with injectable hyaluronic filler.

Filler, when injected into wrinkles, can lift, plump and improve them, but it is not a one-size-fits-all thing and is not cheap. That’s why it’s crucial to have the guidance of an experienced, board-certified dermatologist who can determine which filler is best, how much is needed, where it goes and the proper injection technique. 

Lip and cheek fillers get social media attention, but filler for lines and wrinkles is more practical, according to women over 50. They tell me, “It filled my wrinkles, not my face or jawline, the way too many extra pounds do.” Your dermatologist will likely suggest a hyaluronic acid-based filler like Juvéderm or Restylane (the ones you hear about most) to address lower-face wrinkles like deep laugh lines, marionette lines and nasolabial folds (and wrinkled backs of hands!). Remember, hyaluronic acid is found naturally in the body, and though hyaluronic fillers last between six and 12 months, they also dissolve naturally, too.

Board-certified dermatologists perform in-office procedures like laser therapy, ultrasound treatments and microneedling.

Getty Images

10. Consider lasers, ultrasound or microneedling.

Those serious about reducing wrinkles may be candidates for other in-office treatments by an experienced, board-certified dermatologist. No fooling around here! Your local day spa is not the way to go, despite its similar menus of intriguing procedures and devices.

Three popular dermatological options include Fraxel lasers, Ultherapy and microneedling. All are kind of uncomfortable (I’ve done them), but there’s no post-procedure downtime except for your face looking sunburned for a week after Fraxel. Fractional lasers like Fraxel (the most popular one) are “ablative,” meaning they strategically “damage” the upper layers of skin to stimulate its natural healing process and reboot stalled collagen production. 

Radio frequency and Ultherapy (an ultrasound treatment) are two other wrinkle-smoothing procedures. Both generate heat to tighten skin and, like Fraxel, require no surgical incisions. Though some fans see results in one visit, both procedures typically require repeat visits (usually in a series) for “worth it!” results.

Microneedling is yet another dermatological option. This one uses a device that punctures the skin with tiny needles to stimulate wound healing and collagen production. Prices for all vary widely and range from $500 to $4,000 per in-office treatment depending on where you live, the doctor, the extent of the procedure required and how often you’ll need follow-ups to see results.