Skin changes with aging, it’s a fact of life. The changes in skin are both intrinsic and extrinsic. Intrinsic changes are those that appear with the physical aging of the body. Extrinsic changes are those that occur because of external factors such as sun, smoking, gravity and bad skin care. We cannot stop any intrinsic changes, because they are programmed in our body. But we can surely change our habits and reduce changes due to extrinsic factors.

Skin Care - How Skin Changes With Age

Let us look at the changes in skin with ageing. As you know skin has three layers- Epidermis (outermost layer), Dermis (middle layer) and subcutaneous layer that is below the dermis. As we age, the epidermis or the outermost layer begins to thin. The melanocytes (pigment containing cells) decrease. Though melanocytes decrease in number, they increase in size. This gives a pale look to the skin.

With age spots, the blood vessels in the dermis begin to lose strength and easily lead to bruising and bleeding under the skin. The subcutaneous layer that gives fat padding to skin thins. This again increases the risk of skin injury. Both sweat glands and sebaceous glands become less active.

As we age, our skin loses its suppleness, texture and strength. With age spots and other pigmentation, the youthful look fades away. As the skin becomes weaker, it becomes easy for the skin to suffer damage, and healing becomes very slow. The healing may be four times as slow in old age as compared to youth. Our skin turns dry and our sense of touch heat etc. reduces considerably. Other growths such as skin tags, warts, mar the appearance further.

Wrinkles appear on skin at all the places. As the underlying fat in the subcutaneous layer is lost, hollowness appears on the cheeks and eye sockets. Jowls form because of gravity. Some people lose hair, and some grow hair in unwanted places (hello laser hair removal). Even our nails become thinner. But all is not lost!

Sun damage can accelerate the skin aging considerably and can also cause skin diseases such as skin cancers etc. Regular care of skin is necessary, along with protecting skin from the harm full rays of sun, to maintain a youthful appearance for a longer time.

Here at Pretty Faces Atlanta, we offer a number of skin care procedures to slow down the aging process. With regular skin care maintenance, from exfoliation to moisturizers and laser treatments to diminish hyperpigmentation, we are here to slow down the clock!