The term skin aging describes the very complex process that human skin undergoes with increasing age. This process varies greatly from person to person and is related on the one hand to a genetic predisposition and on the other hand to individual risk behavior. Therefore, the onset of skin aging is also highly variable: While some people show the first signs of aging as early as the age of 20, others do not show any signs until around the age of 40. However, since this is a natural development, everyone is affected by skin aging at some point (more or less and sooner or later).
Causes of skin aging
Actually, the term “skin aging” is somewhat misleading. Of course, strictly speaking, the process of skin aging starts right at birth. A person’s skin is practically subject to constant change throughout his or her life.
Infants usually have very tender and fine-pored skin, and in puberty most of them change to rather oily and large-pored skin, which can be noticed by pimples, among other things. Subsequently, in younger adulthood, the condition of the skin depends on the individual disposition and can be oily/oily, dry or even mixed. At some point, the transition to aging, “mature” or even “demanding” skin takes place.
Although there is a great deal of variability with regard to the point in time when this phase of aging skin begins, it is generally said to begin around the age of 25. How quickly the skin ages depends on both internal (intrinsic) and external (extrinsic) factors. The internal factors cannot be influenced.
Skin aging is a natural biological process that starts at different times depending on the genetic disposition and cannot be stopped. There are several processes in the body that play a role in skin aging. From about mid to late 20s, the speed of cell division slows down, even in the skin: while in younger people the cells still divide about every 27 days, in older people this happens only about every 50th day.
As a result, the ability of the cells in the skin to renew themselves decreases (the epidermis or dermis is of utmost relevance in the context of skin aging). The main components of the dermis are connective tissue fibers (made of collagen, which makes the tissue stable and tensile and elastin, which is responsible for the elasticity of the tissue) and connective tissue cells (also called fibroblasts). Older people now produce less collagen and elastin, making the skin less elastic.
In addition, the moisture content in the skin drops considerably, which can lead to annoying wrinkles. In addition, both the skin and the fatty tissue in the subcutaneous tissue become thinner and thus “more transparent”. This makes the red veins under the skin more visible.
As the number of blood vessels also decreases, the supply of nutrients and oxygen to the skin decreases. In addition, the skin produces less and less fat with increasing age and is no longer able to bind as much moisture as before. As a result, the skin becomes drier and consequently more sensitive.
Another point that is necessary to understand skin aging is the hormonal changes that take place with age. These are particularly pronounced in women who are going through the menopause. During this time, the level of the female hormone estrogen drops sharply.
This in turn leads to poorer blood circulation, thinner and paler skin and a loss of elasticity. As the skin ages, the number of pigment cells in the hair also decreases. As a result, less pigment is produced and more and more hairs become white.
Another sign of skin aging are the so-called age spots (lentigines seniles). These are benign skin changes that are caused by a deposition of pigment in the epidermis and occur mainly where there is regular exposure to the sun. This natural skin aging can be massively intensified by various factors.
These include primarily UV radiation, i.e. either sunlight or the light in solariums. When UV rays penetrate the skin, they lead to the formation of so-called free radicals there.These are oxygen particles that have a very high energetic potential and can therefore cause great damage to the skin. They can directly damage DNA or destroy collagen fibers, proteins or fat molecules.
Although the skin has a certain protective system (consisting of vitamins and enzymes), this protection is no longer sufficient, especially when exposed to excessive UV radiation over a longer period of time. It is now assumed that up to 80% of the aging processes that are noticeable on facial skin are caused by UV radiation! Through the same mechanism, smoking also increases skin aging, since the nicotine it contains also releases more free radicals.
Stress can also lead to accelerated skin aging because the body releases certain hormones during stress. Our eating habits also have a not inconsiderable effect on skin aging. In order to remain healthy and firm, the skin needs sufficient vitamins and minerals, the quantities of which can be deficient if the diet is unbalanced or dieting.
Frequent diets or insufficient fluid intake can also significantly reduce the firmness of the connective tissue. Alcohol also damages the skin. A considerable lack of sleep can sometimes contribute to skin aging, probably also due to hormonal processes in the body.
Usually, aging skin is first noticed by small wrinkles, which often first appear at the corners of the eyes, around the mouth and/or on the forehead, as these regions are usually the most frequently and strongly moved. In the course of time, these wrinkles develop into deep wrinkles and appear in more and more places, such as the nose, cheeks and neck. In addition, the tendency to form dark circles under the eyes, drooping eyelids and visible bags under the eyes increases.
Old skin is thinner, so it often appears very light, almost transparent, and deep veins become clearly visible. Due to the fact that the skin becomes thinner and thinner, it is also much more sensitive than before. Therefore, injuries can occur more often.
As the skin also loses its regenerative power, these injuries can last longer than with young skin and it is not uncommon for wounds to heal. More and more hairs become white. Since some hairs initially still have their original color, the overall appearance is usually first gray and then white with time. Old skin also often contains a large number of age spots. These are usually flat or only slightly raised, light brown and are mainly found in the area of the face, hands and forearms, i.e. where the skin is more exposed to UV radiation.
