“Sleeping on your face, and even on your side can accentuate facial lines, as well as those on the chest or décolletage,” says Dr. Sonya Abdulla, dermatologist at Dermatology on Bloor in Toronto.
Sleeping on your face
“Gravity wins when we sleep on our faces,” explains Patel. The immediate effects—puffiness and swollen eyes—are caused by gravity pulling the fluid in your face downwards. Over time, sleeping face-down promotes full-face sagging and loss of collagen over time.
Smushing your face against a pillow can cause sleep wrinkles
These “sleep wrinkles” can form from repeated pressure as the weight of your head pushes your face into your pillow or mattress, says Dr. Farah Moustafa, a dermatologist and director of Laser and Cosmetics at Tufts Medical Center.
"Sleep wrinkles form in response to distortion created when the face is pressed against any sleep surface. They tend to worsen over time due to repetition combined with thinning of the skin and decreased elasticity as we age," explains ASAPS member and lead author, Dr. Goesel Anson.
Sleeping Positions That Can Reduce Wrinkles
In other words, the best sleeping position is usually on your back. With the back of your head to the pillow, keeping your skin off the pillow can help prevent not only wrinkles, but it can even help prevent exposure to bacteria.
Whatever your skin type, washing your face before calling it a night can also aid in preventing wrinkles. That's because your face is exposed to free radicals in the environment during the day — via pollution and UV rays — which can cause the breakdown of collagen and eventually lead to fine lines and wrinkles.
Both experts agree that your best bet is to conk out face-up—a.k.a on your back. “This position keeps everything off your face, including dirt and oil from the pillow and grease from your hair, and prevents any friction to the skin that can stretch collagen fibers and lead to wrinkles,” says Breus.
Sleeping on a favoured side can weaken the area where the skin naturally folds making them deeper on that side. Poor Posture and resting your face on your hand have been attributed to facial asymmetries. Sun damage & smoking have effects on the elastin, collagen and pigmentation, which can be attributed to asymmetry.
Answer: Asymmetry
Yes.. your sleeping position can definitely cause asymmetry. It is always best to sleep on your back if you can. Fillers can help balance out the damage done of course but moving forward back sleeping is best!
Massaging our face promotes oxygen and blood flow in our skin. Not only does this result in reducing puffiness, it also creates a brighter skin tone and appearance. The massage will also increase collagen production, which prevents the formation of wrinkles. You can call it the 'natural face lift'.
Wrinkles can become permanent with time and repetition. In a young face, wrinkling is transient with animation and sleep wrinkles disappear on awakening. The rate and severity of wrinkling varies as skin ages in response to intrinsic and extrinsic influences combined with repetition of force patterns.
Dermal fillers can treat some cases of sleep wrinkles, but the ongoing 'smooshing' of the face against the pillow each night means results are temporary. So rather than the expensive upkeep of having regular filler injections, it's better to stop sleep wrinkles in their tracks.
Skin becomes loose and sagging, bones lose their mass, and muscles lose their strength as a result of time spent living life. Most people begin to notice a shift in the appearance of their face around their 40's and 50's, with some also noticing a change in their 30's.
Ultraviolet (UV) light and exposure to sunlight age your skin more quickly than it would age naturally. The result is called photoaging, and it's responsible for 90% of visible changes to your skin. UV light damages skin cells, contributing to premature changes like age spots.
Sleeping on your back
According to Dr. Vasyukevic, the supine position is the best position all around for prolonging youthful skin.
Fillers — By inserting a “soft filler” directly into the face via a small injection, it is possible to correct facial asymmetry. Such fillers often include Botox, which is popular to help raise the eyebrows or smooth the wrinkles on one side of the face.
One notable drawback to sleeping on your side is that it can increase your risk of shoulder pain. Whether you're on your left or right side, the corresponding shoulder can collapse into the mattress as well as up toward your neck, creating misalignment and pain the next morning.
Specifically, sleeping on the side or back is considered more beneficial than sleeping on the stomach. In either of these sleep positions, it's easier to keep your spine supported and balanced, which relieves pressure on the spinal tissues and enables your muscles to relax and recover.
Sleeping well can lower blood pressure, relax blood vessels and improve blood flow, bringing nutrients—and a healthy color—to the skin. Sleep also slows the aging of the heart and blood vessels. Poor circulation and arterial aging are major contributors to the appearance of aging on the skin and hair.
Skin makes new collagen when you sleep, which prevents sagging. “That's part of the repair process,” says Patricia Wexler, MD, a dermatologist in New York. More collagen means skin is plumper and less likely to wrinkle. Only getting 5 hours a night can lead to twice as many fine lines as sleeping 7 would.
Age is no bar for skincare
According to Cho, preventative skincare in Korea begins when you start applying sunscreen or wearing hats and clothing that protect you from sun exposure at six months old. “Not only does this prevent sunburns, but it also hinders sun damage that can contribute to ageing later in life.