As we age, skin also ages. But skin ages faster than our biological aging because of external factors. That is why skin aging is said to be both intrinsic and extrinsic. Intrinsic changes are those that appear with natural aging of the body. Extrinsic changes are those that occur because of external factors such as sun, smoking, gravity, bad skin care etc. We cannot stop intrinsic aging because that is a natural process in our body, but we can reduce changes due to extrinsic factors.



Skin has three layers:

1) Epidermis (outermost layer),

2) Dermis (middle layer), and

3) Subcutaneous layer that is below the dermis.

All these three layers undergo changes with ageing.

Epidermis-

As we age, the epidermis or the outermost layer begins to thin. The melanocytes (cells containing pigment) decrease in number. Though melanocytes decrease in number, they increase in size. This gives a pale look to the skin. Liver spots or lentigo are aging changes due to the sun and these appear. They are also called age spots.

Dermis-

The blood vessels in the dermis begin to lose strength and easily lead to bruising and bleeding under the skin.

Subcutaneous layer-

The subcutaneous layer that gives fat padding to skin becomes thin. This increases the risk of skin injury. Both sweat glands and sebaceous glands become less active.

We will find out about the other changes in skin in the next part of this article.

This article is only for informative purposes. This article is not intended to be a medical advise and it is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult your doctor for your medical concerns. Please follow any tip given in this article only after consulting your doctor. The author is not liable for any outcome or damage resulting from information obtained from this article.