How we look can often tell someone a great deal about us. For example what our ethnic background might be, or that of our parents, whether we love being in the sun or the outdoors, what our age might be, or whether we smoke or not. Many factors influence how we look, but not all of these factors affect us all equally and to the same extent. It is this very question of why some factors age some people quicker or slower that is intriguing the Nu Skin scientists as we study how skin ages.

The signs of aging manifest themselves differently on skin. Research by Nu Skin and others is just beginning to answer these questions and is showing that this is a complex process involving many players, such as our genes and epigenetics, lifestyle choices, and exposure to environmental factors like sun and pollution, etc.

We are probably all too familiar with many of the signs of aging. Visible signs of skin aging can appear as early as the twenties and many of the events that lead up to these visible changes can start deep in the skin, sometimes even in childhood. For example, the amount of sun exposure and especially sun burns, we receive as children can have a long-lasting effect on the support structure of the skin, which in adulthood manifests itself as fine lines, wrinkles and sagging.

The Effect of the Sun

Solar elastosis particularly refers to sun damage on one of the critical components of our skin – elastin. Elastin is vital in keeping our skin firm and supple, allowing it to snap back into place after skin is stretched. Even though this component is in the deeper dermal layers of the skin, UV rays from the sun can penetrate deep into the dermis and are very damaging to elastin. Over time, UV damage can cause a completely irregular structure of elastin to become apparent in the dermis, such that it can no longer provide its much needed elasticity. 

Skin moisture is also noted to change as we get older, and this differs between different ethnic skin types. One study showed that skin dryness is more pronounced on sun exposed lighter skin (Caucasian & Chinese) than on sun protected sites³, while no differences in dryness were observed in sun exposed vs. sun protected darker skin types. Further, skin dryness did not change in the 18 to 50 age group, but was more pronounced in both Africa-American and Caucasian skin at age 51+, with a greater percentage increase in Caucasian skin. Additionally, studies have shown that because of skin scaling and dryness, our outer skin cells can be more easily removed as we age and come away in greater numbers.

Signs of aging are diverse, varying from appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and sagging to changes in skin color, as well as changes in skin moisture and texture. What we are uncovering as skin scientists is a better understanding of how these factors come about and how we can influence how we age, so that we can appear at our best at all times. 

References

1.      Bazin, R. et al. Skin Aging Atlas, Paris. Editions Med’Com, v1 (2007) v2 (2010) v3 (2012).

2.      de Rigal, J. et al. (2010) The effect of age on skin color and color heterogeneity in four ethnic groups. Skin Res Tech 16: 168-178.

3.      Diridollou, S. et al. (2007) Comparative study of the hydration of the stratum corneum between four ethnic groups: influence of age. Int J Dermatol Soc 46(Suppl 1): 11-14.