Scientists finally know how wrinkles form when skin ages

Wrinkles don’t just appear because you’re growing older. Beneath every line and fold lies a mechanical truth. As your skin ages, its ability to manage physical stress weakens, leading to creases and crumples. But how exactly does that happen?

Scientists have long speculated on why older skin forms wrinkles. Many blamed genetics, sun damage, or gradual loss of proteins like collagen and elastin. But no one had tested these ideas on actual human skin until now.

Researchers at Binghamton University, State University of New York (SUNY), decided to find out what really happens when skin ages.

Their work goes beyond theory. They brought solid experimental evidence to show how wrinkles form through physical buckling when skin stretches and contracts over time. The results confirm what many suspected but couldn’t prove.

Skin shrinks more with age

Guy German, an associate professor of biomedical engineering, and his team closely examined strips of human skin from people aged 16 to 91. They used a low-force tensometer to stretch these samples in one direction.

What they found was simple but powerful: when skin stretches one way, it contracts the other way. This shrinking movement increases with age. When it becomes too strong, the skin buckles and forms wrinkles.

“This is no longer just a theory,” said Professor German. “We now have hard experimental evidence showing the physical mechanism behind aging.”

Imagine your oldest hoodie. Over time, it stretches in random spots and loses its shape. Skin, though far more complex, behaves in a surprisingly similar way.

A milestone for skin science

For Professor German, this breakthrough isn’t just another study. It’s personal. Understanding how and why skin wrinkles was one of his life goals.

Professor German questioned the endless advice from media and marketers about anti-aging. Instead of relying on vague claims, he wanted scientific clarity.

“When I got into this field, that was one of my goals – can I figure out aging? Because if I look at the TV, the radio, online, at shops, I’m being told 1,000 different things about how to improve my skin health, and I want to know what’s right and what isn’t. And so I thought I’d skip to the end and try and figure it out myself.“

Abraham Ittycheri and Alejandro Wiltshire, both students of Professor German, played key roles in this research. Together, they applied gentle tension to the skin samples and carefully recorded how the tissue responded.

The setup mimicked everyday pressures your skin feels while smiling, frowning, or even sleeping.

Wrinkles form when skin gets “wonky”

As skin ages, it doesn’t stretch and contract evenly. German explained that youthful skin has predictable mechanical properties. But over time, these properties begin to shift.

“Your skin has one set of mechanical properties when you’re young, but as you get older, things begin to change and get a bit ‘wonky,’” said Professor German.

He noted that aging skin stretches more sideways. This uneven tension causes folds to appear.

Interestingly, the skin doesn’t rest naturally. Even when you’re relaxed, internal forces are still pulling it in various directions. These built-in tensions increase the likelihood of wrinkling.

“Things degrade a bit, and it turns out the skin stretches laterally more, which causes the actual wrinkles that form,” explained Professor German.

“And the reason why that exists in the first place is that your skin is not in a stress-free state. It’s actually stretched a little bit. So there are inherent forces within your skin itself, and those are the driving force towards wrinkles.”

Silly putty, skin, and sun

To explain further, German used a simple analogy. “If you stretch Silly Putty for instance, it stretches horizontally, but it also shrinks in the other direction – it gets thinner. That’s what skin does as well.”

“As you get older, that contraction gets bigger. And if your skin is contracted too much, it buckles. That’s how wrinkles form.”

This shrinking effect mirrors what happens to the dermal layer of your skin. Over time, it loses strength and elasticity, which changes how it handles movement and pressure.

Sun exposure can make this process worse. According to Professor German, long-term time in the sun can cause your skin to age faster even if you’re still young.

“If you spend your life working outside, you’re more likely to have more aged and wrinkled skin than those who are office workers, for example,” he said.

“Chronological aging and photoaging give you similar results. So go and have a fab summer, but don’t forget the suntan lotion – your future self will appreciate it.”

Understanding how wrinkles form

The new research finally puts years of assumptions to the test. Past models speculated about the weakening of the dermal structure. But this is the first time scientists used real samples to demonstrate exactly how wrinkles form.

By identifying this contraction behavior in skin, the study offers a new path for future cosmetic and clinical strategies. Treatments may now aim to adjust how skin responds to tension, instead of simply adding hydration or boosting collagen.

For now, the study acts as a solid foundation, clearing the noise in a crowded industry full of unverified claims. It marks a new chapter in our understanding of what really happens as skin ages.

The study is published in the Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials.

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