Almost everyone wants to look youthful for as long as they can, and skin is one of the most visible ways by which "youthfulness" is judged. Read on to learn more about skin ageing, and how to prevent it.
In our modern world, scientific research and processes have advanced in the field of beauty, the end result being the availability of a quality product, that is rich in natural ingredients. This will appeal to consumers by satisfying their relentless desire for a beauty product to reduce the signs of aging, frequently at great expense.
As skin is the most telltale sign of getting old, anti-aging goods and services account for billions of dollars spent in the hopes of delaying the onset of skin aging.
Unfortunately, many have been and are misinformed on how and why skin ages misleading these same people into buying products that only offer short-lived, if not unsuccessful and disappointing, results.
Knowing how skin changes as we grow older is a wise move. Only when you understanding the hows and whys of aging skin, can you develop the correct habits and source the best treatments necessary to retain youthful looks for as long as possible.
Firstly, there are two types of aging for the skin. There is the intrinsic (internal) aging, which is caused by factors within one's own body, such as genes and body condition; and extrinsic (external) aging, which is caused by factors outside one's body, such as sunlight and lifestyle.
The effect of aging is perfectly natural, and is determined by our genes. On average, signs of skin aging begin to appear in the mid-20s.
The skin will lose its natural ability of elasticity as we mature in life. That is because skin cells do not regenerate as fast as they used to - resulting in tougher, older skin. Although internal aging begins in our 20s, the typical signs of wrinkles and sagging skin do not appear for about a couple of decades more.
Other signs that indicate skin aging are thinning, loss of firmness, dryness, and reduction of the sweat production, that prevents proper cooling of the body.
Extrinsic (external) aging factors are those outside one's own genes that accelerate skin aging. Lifestyles and habits have further impact on why aging skin occurs more prematurely in one's lifetime.
Sun exposure is an important consideration. With the present condition our atmosphere is in, harmful rays from the sun pass through in ever increasing amounts, causing damage to the skin and hampering its ability to repair itself. Over a period of time, a few minutes a day of exposure to ultraviolet rays results in changes to the skin (freckles, age spots, rough skin). An even graver symptom would be the onset of skin cancer.
Dermatologists call this effect "photo aging", in reference to the sun's rays that reduce the production of collagen. Collagen is a protein found in connective tissue that allows skin tissue to maintain elasticity and resume its natural shape and to retain its youthful appearance. Collagen diminishes as people age.
One's susceptibility to "photo aging" is determined by the amount of pigment in the skin as well as the frequency and duration one spends under the sun's rays. Given these factors, fair-skinned individuals and those who spend long periods under the sun stand to have more pronounced effects of photo aging compared to those who are darker-skinned and spend more time in the shade.
Facial exercises have sometimes been fashionable. Ironically, the routine once prescribed to prevent facial wrinkles is actually one of the causes of that very thing one aims to avoid. Facial exercises cause the muscles on the face to fold and crease the skin. As the skin's elasticity decreases, the skin starts to take on the creases more permanently causing deep wrinkles on the face.
Cigarette smoking not only causes harm to the body internally but externally as well. This is most pronounced with the condition of the skin. Smokers suffer faster break up of skin cells, and other harmful effects, with the absorption of nicotine into the body system.
It is a common finding that individuals who have been smokers for at least a decade look comparably older than those who do not smoke. In addition to wrinkles, yellowish discoloration of the skin has been observed in smokers. However, the good news is that those who have given up smoking show improvements in their skin condition shortly after quitting.
Diet is, of course, an important factor. Eating plenty of fruit and vegetables, drinking lots of water are just the basics. This is covered more fully elsewhere.
Perhaps the best solution is to understand the aging process and not view it as a disease, but rather see it as another stage of development the body undergoes. However much we try to delay the process, it is inevitable that the signs of skin aging will inevitably show up on everyone at one point or the other. Fortunately, many products and treatments are available to delay the outward symptoms.
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