What causes visible aging of the skin?
Skin aging is influenced by many factors. Poor nutrition, harsh soaps, smoking, and pollution can all cause the skin to age faster than it should. The single greatest culprit is UV damage. Sunlight alters collagen and elastin fibers and harms the skin’s ability to retain moisture. Loss of elasticity, wrinkles, age spots, thinning, and dryness follow.
Aging of skin can be caused due to Intrinsic Aging and Extrinsic Aging.
Intrinsic Aging contains:
Intrinsic aging, generally known as the natural aging process, is an ongoing process that usually starts in our mid-20s. Within the skin, collagen production slows, and elastin, the substance that allows skin to snap back into place, has a little bit less spring. Dead skin-cells do not shed as quickly and turnover of new skin cells may minimize slightly. While these changes usually begin in our 20s, the signs of intrinsic aging are typically not visual for decades. The signs of intrinsic aging are:
· Fine wrinkles
· Thin and transparent skin
· Loss of underlying fat, leading to hollowed cheeks and eye sockets as well as noticeable loss of firmness on the hands and neck
· Bones shrink away from the skin due to bone loss, which causes sagging skin
· Dry skin that may itch
· Inability to sweat sufficiently to cool the skin
· Graying hair that eventually turns white
· Hair loss
· Unwanted hair
· Nail plate thins, the half-moons disappear, and ridges develops
Extrinsic Aging includes:
A number of extrinsic, or external, factors often act together with the normal aging process to prematurely age our skin. Most premature aging is caused by sun exposure. Other external factors that prematurely age our skin are repetitive facial expressions, gravity, sleeping positions, and smoking.
