Wrinkles can have a profound effect on a person's
self esteem. The Cosmetic Surgery Industry is thriving with over $12 Billion
dollars being spent to hide the effects of aging. Our society places
youthfulness at a premium, with most people wanting to be perceived as being
healthy and fit. Even in an economic downturn, the emotional aftermath that a
person might experience from having being discriminated against in the workplace
because of age - keeps plastic surgeons busy.
As we age - the skin goes through various
changes:
The cells divide
slower - the inner layer of dermis starts to thin. The fat cells
beneath the dermis shrink in size. Skin loses the ability to repair
itself with age - with wounds healing much slower. The thinner skin becomes
vulnerable to injury or damage.
The deeper layer
of skin that provides the "scaffolding" for the surface layers starts to
become loose and possibly come undone. The skin loses its elasticity
or ability to stretch. The skin cannot bounce back into position if pressure
is applied - as the skin ages, furrows and sagging occur.
The oil secreting
glands will shrink or lose shape, leaving the skin without a protective
layer of fat. The skin loses its ability of staying moisturized - and
becomes dry and scaly.
Frown lines or
the glabellar lines (between the eyebrows) and crow's feet (peri-orbital
lines) start to form because of permanent small muscle contractions. Facial
expressions that are made all the time contribute to lines and wrinkles
forming.
Gravity as we all
know it, definitely makes lines and wrinkles worse - contributing to the
drooping of eyelids or the formation of jowls.
Sunlight is the single most important cause or
"prematurely aging skin". This is also known as Photo-aging and can
contribute to skin cancer. Most of the damaging effects of the sun is done
by the age of 18. It is these years that are so crucial with having
over-exposure of ultraviolet radiation from the sun. During these years,
the damage has been done with 90 percent of the symptoms of premature skin
aging. This is commonly referred to as UVA or UVB Radiation.
How Sunlight and Photoaging Contribute to
Aging of the Skin:
Even the smallest
amounts of ultraviolet radiation can trigger the process that leads to skin
prematurely aging and wrinkles.
Long term
exposure to ultraviolet radiation is the number one cause of basal cell or
squamous cell carcinoma (skin cancer) including the deadly form of melonoma.
50 - 80 percent
of all skin damage occurs in childhood and adolescence from intermittent
intense sun exposure that causes a severe "sunburn".
Ultraviolet
radiation penetrates the layers of the skin with damaging the cells in
various ways.
UVB rays is the
number one cause of sunburns and affects the outer skin layers (epidermis)
UVA tends to
penetrate the skin more deeply; however, the intensity is less depending on
the time of the day and season of the year.
UVB rays are more
intense during mid-day when sunlight is the brightest - with people
receiving 70 percent of yearly UVB rays during the summer and only 28
percent during the winter.
Window tint helps
filters out UVB rays but not UVA rays
Both UVA and UVB
rays have the potential of damaging the body, including genetic injury,
wrinkles, aging, skin disorders, and skin cancers.
How Sunlight
Contributes to Wrinkles
Sunlight damages
collagen fibers (the major protein that gives structure to the skin).
Sunlight also
damages
elastin, a protein in the skin that normally maintains the
springiness and strength of tissue beneath the skin.
The elastin
damage caused by the sunlight will make the body produce a large amount of
metalloproteinase.
Even exposure to
ultraviolet rays or sunlight for a mere 5 - 15 minutes a day may raise the
metalloproteinase levels in the body.
The main function
of metalloproteinase is to remodel the sun damaged skin by producing and
repairing collagen. Doing this can cause an uneven formation or matrix
of collagen fibers called solar scars. With each exposure to the
sunlight, the repetition of the imperfect skin rebuilding causing wrinkles.
The sunlight also
contributes to the over-production of oxidants or "free radicals".
Oxidants are unstable molecules that are normally produced by the chemical
process - oxidation. The environmental damage is caused by the
over-production of oxidants - and the excess amounts of oxidants damage the
body's cells.
The following contribute to the formation of
wrinkles:
Cigarette Smoke:
It is a known fact that smoking produces oxygen free radicals which has a direct
correlation to wrinkles and pre-mature aging of the skin. Cigarette
smoking also can increase the risk for "non-melanoma" skin cancers (basal cell
or squamous cell carcinomas).
Rapid Weight Loss:
Weight loss that occurs too fast has a direct
correlation to the volume of fat cells diminishing before the skin can react.
This can cause skin to sag and droop.
Air pollution:
Pollution can contribute to aging of the skin prematurely. The ozone is
very damaging to the skin and can cause the loss of vitamin E. It is this
antioxidant that is very important with binding free radicals which can lead to
potential damage of the skin. Anti-aging cream does help with providing a
barrier and protect the skin from the negative effects of the ozone and other
pollutants.
Heredity:
Genetics have always been a big part in aging, including the amount of elastin
that a person is born with. Dryness or oiliness of the skin and how
efficiently a body produces collagen are all predetermined by genes.
Sun Damage:
One of the biggest and most important risk factors with aging is sun damage and
ultraviolet or UV rays. It is these rays that damage the skin's collagen
causing abnormal collagen to form and promote premature wrinkles.
Skin Color:
People who have lighter colored skin are more susceptible to sunburn and tend to
develop wrinkles earlier than people with darker skin tones.
Heredity – Genetics plays a big part in aging, and is
particularly true in terms of the level of skin elasticity a person is
born with. Types of wrinkles acquired, how young a person starts to show
signs of aging, the level of dryness or oiliness of the skin, and how
efficiently a body produces collagen are often determined by genes.
Heredity – Genetics plays a big part in aging, and is
particularly true in terms of the level of skin elasticity a person is
born with. Types of wrinkles acquired, how young a person starts to show
signs of aging, the level of dryness or oiliness of the skin, and how
efficiently a body produces collagen are often determined by genes.
