Forehead wrinkles are a kind of expression wrinkle. “Expression wrinkles happen when underlying facial muscles are activated to create facial expressions,” board-certified dermatologist Cynthia Bailey, M.D., founder of Dr. Bailey Skin Care, once told us about the kind of wrinkle. It’s not necessarily the movement that’s the problem—creases and lines are part of a well-functioning face—but as you lose vital skin components like collagen, your skin isn’t as able to bounce back from these movements. They manifest as horizontal etches from raising your brows or vertical lines from furrowing them together (also known as the “11s”).
Anecdotally, forehead wrinkles are most often associated with stress. This makes sense when you think about how we move and hold our face when tense: tense scalp and forehead muscles, a furrowed brow, rubbing the area. And this association is spot on: “We hold stress in the shoulders and forehead,” says Takatsu, noting that this is why she addresses the skin and muscles for not only aesthetic purposes but the feeling of anxiety itself. (We’re all for getting to the root of the problem around here, too!)
“It’s a fun exercise,” she says. “And for me, I like to combine with affirmations. Do it for three sets and see how you feel after—you can always do more if you want.”
Here, her simple routine.