Getting older comes with some definite perks: Acne is (typically) a distant memory, your shoe size stops changing and, of course, you can get into R-rated movies. Heck, people even pay attention to you when you speak, lest they miss out on any of the wisdom you’ve accumulated from your years being on this earth.
But getting older comes with its disadvantages, too. For one, your breath starts to smell something fierce, and for another, you start getting wrinkles all over your face. Some of those wrinkles you can live with, like the ones criss-crossing your forehead that make you look distinguished, and probably are the reason people listen to your “wisdom” in the first place; others, like those two deep, vertical lines between your eyes that make you look like you’ve got permanent resting bastard face, are not.
In the dermatological community, those mean ol’ eyebrow-splitting lines are known as glabellar lines, mostly because that space between your brows is called the glabella. But for the lay-people that have them — and desperately want to get rid of them — they go by a different name: “the elevens.”
Unfortunately, the elevens aren’t necessarily facial lines that you can point at in the mirror and say something like, “If only I’d quit smoking,” or “I shoulda stayed out of the sun more.” No doubt, excess sun, a lack of sunscreen and a pack-a-day habit are two of the most common reasons people get wrinkles on their face early in adulthood, and a reason your elevens might be more pronounced than they would otherwise be.
But a more common culprit for the elevens is simply repeated movement. After all, your elevens sit in a part of your face that’s highly involved in facial expression; basically any face you make that furrows your brow is going to repetitively work those lines. And, sadly, if you’re of an advanced age (like older than 35), that skin doesn’t bounce back the way it used to, resulting in your elevens looking more and more permanent the older you get.
So what can be done about your elevens?
For starters, you can make sure they don’t get any worse by adopting a morning skincare routine that involves applying a daily face moisturizer with sunscreen. Walking outside without this basic level of protection is just asking for trouble — and by trouble, I mean looking like someone ran across your face with a pair of ice skates.
If, however, your elevens are already pretty bad, you might consider biting the bullet and becoming a Botox believer; no doubt there’s a dermatologist or a plastic surgeon in your vicinity happy to take your money once a quarter to banish your elevens into the shadow realm.
That said, you can make your elevens appear less pronounced: For starters, think about adding retinol, i.e., vitamin A, to your nighttime skincare routine. Retinol has been shown to boost collagen production, which can soften the lines of your elevens considerably. Alternatively, other anti-aging agents like glycolic acid (a powerful exfoliator), peptides (amino acids that can help your skin form collagen) and a good night cream to keep your skin moisturized can all help as well.
Bottom line is, there’s no reason not to be taking care of your skin as much as you can to prevent things like elevens from either getting worse or forming in the first place. Because while being a respected elder is all well and good, not all of us necessarily want to show our age.
Jeff Gross
Jeff Gross is MEL’s senior editor for social media and content marketing. His daily ICYMI column, which chronicles all things meta on the site, is the quickest way to catch up on MEL, and the funniest thing you’ll read all day. Follow him on Twitter.
