Aging Changes in the Skin

Aging changes in the skin are a group of common conditions and developments that occur as people grow older.

Wrinkles - aging changes; Thinning of skin

Skin changes are among the most visible signs of aging. Evidence of increasing age include wrinkles and sagging skin. Whitening or graying of the hair is another obvious sign of aging.

Your skin does many things. It protects you from the environment, helps regulate your body temperature, helps with fluid and electrolyte balance, and provides receptors for sensations such as touch, pain, and pressure.

Although skin has many layers, it can be generally divided into three main portions. The outer portion (epidermis) contains skin cells, pigment, and proteins. The middle portion (dermis) contains blood vessels, nerves, hair follicles, and oil glands. The dermis provides nutrients to the epidermis.

The layer under the dermis (the subcutaneous layer) contains sweat glands, some hair follicles, blood vessels, and fat. Each layer also contains connective tissue with collagen fibers to give support and elastin fibers to provide flexibility and strength.

Skin changes are related to environmental factors, genetic makeup, nutrition, and other factors. The greatest single factor, though, is sun exposure. This can be seen by comparing areas of your body that have regular sun exposure with areas that are protected from sunlight.

Natural pigments seem to provide some protection against sun-induced skin damage. Blue-eyed, fair-skinned people show more aging skin changes than people with darker, more heavily pigmented skin.

AGING CHANGES

With aging, the outer skin layer (epidermis) thins even though the number of cell layers remains unchanged.

The number of pigment-containing cells (melanocytes) decreases, but the remaining melanocytes increase in size. Aging skin thus appears thinner, more pale, and translucent. Large pigmented spots (called age spots, liver spots, or lentigos) may appear in sun-exposed areas.