Part 3 : The aging process

** The skin ages in two different ways:
    Biological (intrinsic aging)
    Environmental (actinic or extrinsic)

When waging a war against time, you must know your enemy..prevention and protection are critical to maintaining a youthful appearance


*According to the American Academy of Dermatology:

     - production of collagen and elastin slows down a dramatic 65% between ages 20 and 80.
    - the thickness of skin decreases a staggering 6% every ten years
     -  the sun causes 90-95% of the wrinkles, lines as well as brown, red and white discolorations on our bodies

**Intrinsic aging accounts for 10% of the visible signs of aging. Many intrinsic factors are hereditary due to the genetic information being passed down through the generations. Family background and history play a major role. In general, the darker the skin, the less visible aging will take place. Thicker skin does not show aging as fast as thinner, more fragile skin types.

**Actinic aging is caused by external factors such as smoking, excessive use of alcohol, poor nutrition and sun exposure with 90% of premature facial aging attributed to sun damage. The visible symptoms of actinic aging include: wrinkling, sagging, discoloration, unsightly pigmented spots, thin skin, spidery lines and lack of color. The appearance of actinic aging can be minimized with proper protection from the sun and lifestyle changes.

The Role of Free Radicals in Photo-Aging
Free Radicals, also known as reactive oxygen species (ROS) are considerred to be a major contributor to the aging process. Free Radicals are created by UV exposure, pollution, stress, smoking and normal metabolic processes. Free Radicals bring about chances that lead to the degradation of the skin's firmness (collagen) and elasticity (elastin) that is characteristic of photo-aged skin. Antioxidants help neutralize and stablize these ROS. Antioxidants are a primary detense against the aging effects of free radicals.

Wrinkles:
The aging of skin follows a biological timeline, Changes occur throughout the skin, which results in a wide range of changes in the appearance of the complexion. Visible aging of the skin starts at about age 25 as the natural regenerative process begins to slow. The skin replaces old cells more slowly, and there is a slower turnover of the surface skin and slower wound healing. Wrinkles start to form.

***In your 20's
    -First wrinkles appear around the eyes and lips
***In your 30's
    - skin becomes less resilient, allowing gravity to take its toll
***In your 40's
    - As elasticity begins to diminish, skin loses its ability to snap back
    -Repetitive movements, such as frowning, squinting or smoking form the first permanent wrinkles
***In your 50's
    - Gravity combined with the decrease in collagen and elastin synthesis, causes the skin to sag
     - Exposed skin has mottled hyper-pigmentation and shows dark spots referred to as age spots.
     - oil producing (sebaceous) glands become much less active and skin becomes drier, more fragile and sensitive to environmental factors