To explore factors related to facial wrinkling, the researchers examined wrinkle depth, gland density, and dermal skin density in forehead and eye region skin samples from 58 Japanese cadavers. The ages represented ranged from 20s to 90s.
The research team concluded that the more sebaceous glands present under the forehead-region skin, the shallower the wrinkles.
A lack of sebaceous glands around the outer corners of the eyes could explain why wrinkles in that area tend to be deeper than forehead creases, the researchers said.
The investigators also observed that greater gland density was associated with a thicker dermal skin layer — the second layer of skin, which lies below the sweat glands and hair follicles contained in the outer epidermis.