Nikolina Pupovac; Mirela Eric; Nikola Vucinic; Dragana Radosevic; Aleksandra Spremo Fejsa Levakov; Nikolina Stojanovic & Doris DurDevic

Changes in the skin are the most visible indicators of aging. Wrinkles are lines and folds that form due to physiological aging. This study aimed to determine the distribution and length of facial wrinkles and folds in females and males and to determine if there are statistically significant differences in relation to the age group and the influence of certain harmful factors on their formation. The study was conducted on 180 subjects (90 females and 90 males), divided into three age groups. Through questionnaire for each subject, we collected data on harmful habits (sun exposure, alcohol and cigarette consumption). Then, we took photographs of the subjects' faces and analyzed the distribution and length of wrinkles and folds. We drew visible wrinkles on a special facial scheme. Morphometric analysis was performed in the program ImageJ 1.48v. The number of wrinkles and length of nasolabial folds increases as the age group increases. In the 2nd age group, females had higher average values of the length of nasolabial folds compared to males of the same age group. Sun exposure, alcohol and cigarette consumption did not effect on the number of wrinkles in both genders, only smoking status affected on the length of nasolabial folds in male subjects. Men who were ex-smokers had higher values of the right nasolabial folds compared to non-smokers. Our results may improve knowledge about the development and patterns of wrinkles and inspire research on similar topics in other populations.

KEY WORDS: Wrinkles; Facial skin aging; UV rays; Smoking; Alcohol.

PUPOVAC, N.; ERIC, M.; VUCINIC, N.; RADOSEVIC, D.; FEJSA LEVAKOV, A. S.; STOJANOVIC, N. & DURDEVIC, D. Arrangement of facial wrinkles and influence of certain harmful factors on their appearance. Int. J. Morphol., 43(1):156-165, 2025.