From crows feet to ‘bunny lines’ and ‘tech neck’ – what the location of your wrinkles means and how to combat them

Instead, lines form due to a buildup of multiple factors that, when combined, "create a negative that is more than the sum of its parts".

"Genetics, changes in hormones, dehydration, lifestyle factors, sun damage, free radical damage and the 20,000 plus expressions you make every day can all contribute to the formation of fine lines and wrinkles," Sonia explained.

"Left untreated, fine lines will become more prominent, leading to the deeper creases and crevices we know as wrinkles.

"Whilst wrinkles can appear anywhere on your body, they are most common around the face, neck, and hand areas."

From furrows between your brows to marionette or bunny lines, we break down different kinds of wrinkles and what they might be caused by.

What do the wrinkles on your face mean?

It's no surprise that our faces begin to show signs of wear and tear as we age, as "we make over 20,000 facial expressions every day", according to Sonia.

"These form creases in the skin which over time will leave their mark as a wrinkle," she added.

"We call these expression wrinkles – they start out as dynamic wrinkles and eventually become fixed in place as static wrinkles."

When you think of wrinkles that might be caused by facial expressions, you might think of smile lines or crows feet.

But Sonia names seven different kinds of common expression wrinkles:

1. Forehead lines – the lines you get when you raise your eyebrows in surprise around the T-zone area
2. Frown lines or elevenses - lines between your eyebrows
3. Crows feet or laughter lines - these form around the eyes and into the cheek zone
4. Bunny lines - the diagonal crinkles that form from the corner of your eyes down the bridge of your nose as you smile or scrunch up your face
5. Nasolabial wrinkles - lines between the nose and mouth corners
6. Vertical lip lines that develop along and above your upper lip
7. Marionette lines - vertical lines running from corners of your mouth down to your to chin

"Whilst the expression is creating the crease, younger skin has the ability to bounce back," Sonia said.

But as we age, our skin loses the ability to snap back, leading to the formation of wrinkles.

When it comes to skincare and ageing, the term 'free radicals' gets tossed around a fair bit.

Free radicals are unstable atoms that have the ability to interact freely any other molecule and can trigger chemical reactions in the body called oxidation, damaging the cells and DNA by altering their chemical structure and causing signs of ageing.

Unfortunately, our skin can come into contact with to these unstable molecules in multiple different ways, through sun exposure, pollution, tobacco smoke and poor diet.

All these factors can increase the load of free radicals and cause wrinkles, according to Sonia.

Inevitable hormonal changes also come into play.

These result in decreased levels of collagen and elastin in our skin, as well as less subcutaneous fat - fat that's stored beneath the skin - and muscle.

What do the wrinkles on your neck mean?

Be honest: how often do you forget to go over your neck when you're washing your face or applying moisturiser and sun cream?

“The neck is a body part that we tend to miss when it comes to skincare, but it is just as important to take care of the skin on your neck as your face," Sonia told Sun Health.

Some people might be genetically predisposed to neck lines, as even teenagers can have them, she went on - though perhaps hunching over their phone as they scroll through TikTok could be to blame.

"Whilst you aren’t making facial expressions, in today’s world we are constantly creating creases due to the repeated or prolonged use of tech devices, hence the term 'tech neck'.

"Just like facial expressions, this repeat creasing creates horizontal lines which, combined with free-radical exposure and hormonal changes, deepen over time.

"But all of the same factors - like constant free radical exposure from sun and pollution - are also fighting against us to form neck wrinkles."

As if this wasn't enough incentive to take care of your neck, Sonia added "the skin around the neck is thinner than the face and does not have the same level of subcutaneous fat layers, so it tends to sag and form wrinkles quicker".

Are 'sleep lines' a thing?

Turns out that when you thought you were getting your beauty sleep, you might actually have been making your wrinkles worse.

Sonia said: “You can also develop ‘sleep lines’ from regular, long-term creasing of the skin against your pillow."

It's certainly not uncommon to roll out of bed with grooves stamped into your face from your pillow.

"With younger skin, sleep wrinkles tend to go away within a few minutes, but they can be more sustained in mature skin," Sonia warned.

"As these lines form due to continual pressure as you sleep, they can appear anywhere where your face comes into contact with the pillow such as the cheek and eye area."

To combat the formation of sleep lines, Sonia suggested lying on your back to sleep or investing in a silk pillowcase that will be less harsh on your skin that cotton.

How can I prevent wrinkles?

There are certain things you can to do combat the formation of wrinkles, though none of us can stop ageing in its tracks.

Sonia said: "Just like there is no one cause of wrinkles, there is no one way to prevent wrinkles or fine lines."

Having a good skincare routine isn't the only way to prevent your skin from wrinkling, she noted.

“Lifestyle choices can be a huge factor when it comes to preventing wrinkles: stay hydrated, limit your consumption of alcohol, sugar and junk food, and avoid pollution and tobacco smoke.

"Once you reduce your free radical load from food and tobacco, think sun protection," the skin expert went on."

Sun can cause age spots and pigmentation as well as lines due to free radical damage.

Sonia recalled: "Growing up in Australia, I learned the 'slip, slop, slap' song, and it’s one of the top age preventing things you can do – 'slip on a shirt, slop on sunscreen and slap on a hat'.