THE CAUSES OF SKIN AGING
Aging is a natural process to happen to everyone with the increase of the number of living years. The more years you live, the longer aging process you have to undergo, the more aging signs you will have to live through. Aging starts from beginning of adulthood and it ends when one passes away. People age differently and experience multiple different changes while aging. Those changes are expected; some are avoidable and reversible but some other changes are unavoidable and irreversible. With age, bones tend to shrink in size and density, weakening and become prone to fracture. Furthermore, muscles generally lose its strength, endurance and flexibility, thus affecting overall body balancing, coordination and stability. Aged people also tend to lose their teeth more and faster than younger adults. Most of the time, their hair turned to be greyish, whitens and loses its volume. These physical changes are considered enormously normal though being unwelcomed and undesired by some “antiaging” society.
Other significant change with aging is how skin ages and creates some clear and unambiguous signs, for instance, more noticeable wrinkles, age spots, dryness or loss of skin tone. Additionally, many aging people also suffer hyperpigmentation, darker freckles, saggy skin and sunken cheeks (gaunt face). Like other body parts, skin also ages at different pace depending on many vital aging factors, namely; 1) Intrinsic and 2) Extrinsic factor. Intrinsic factors include the predestined physiological process which are highly associated with gender, ethnicity, genetics, body composition and anatomical variations. Intrinsic aging yields the dry, thin skin and fine wrinkles. This specific factor is very unique and individualized, therefore resulting in consequentially inimitable individual skin changes amongst aging people.
Inversely, the extrinsic skin aging produces some apparent signs such as coarse wrinkles, increase appearance of wrinkles, skin thinning, loss of elasticity, laxity, discoloration and fragility. These extrinsic signs are frequently avoidable, preventable, reversible, and strongly connected with external environment factors, as discussed below:
1) Sun exposure/UV light
- Overexposure to UV light and sunlight cause the skin to age much faster than it should be as both can damage skin cells by increasing the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which at higher concentrations can damage the main proteins in the skin, the collagen and elastin.
- Photo aging is the side effect of UV light, promoting premature age spots.
- UV radiation can also cause skin cancer.
2) Smoking
- Smoking is toxic and harmful for human cells. Skin has collagen as protein to maintain its elasticity. However, smoking stimulates the production of enzyme that breaks down collagen. So that is why the skin loses its elasticity and makes the smokers look much older than their natural age.
- Smoking also causes premature wrinkling, sagging, and gaunt look.
3) Excessive alcohol consumption
- Daily consumption of alcohols accelerated biological aging much faster because drinking too much alcohols in a long run is highly associated with many chronic diseases such as liver failure, cancers, brain damage, diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, etc.
4) Chronic stress
- When you are under massive stress, your body automatically produces stress hormone called cortisol. Cortisol blocks collagen, thus making you look old.
- Stress can cause inflammation and damage to DNA in cells, which in turn can accelerate aging. 5) Poor nutrition -Diet in high sugar and carbohydrates can stimulate premature aging.
- Diet high in vitamin rich food like fruits and vegetables can postpone aging.
- Foods good for skin are already discussed in previous article.
6) Dehydration
- In general, adults who consumed less or insufficient daily water requirement are more likely to get many chronic diseases later in life. For example, stroke, high blood pressure, kidney failure, seizures etc.
- Thus, with these diseases, poor hydration may accelerate biological aging.
7) Skin care products
- Products contain high in poisonous mercury is harmful to skin, contributing to ugly side effects such as skin hyperpigmentation, slate-grey skin colour, rashes, blotchy spots, thin face skin, redness, burnt-like, etc.
- These unpleasant conditions make you look older.
8) Poor sleep
- Enough sleep is very imperative to sustain a healthy body. Less sleep makes your body ages faster
To sum up, after learning all kinds of causes of aging, we should embrace aging with a more welcoming, positive and open-arms. Since we know we will age eventually, we should do more proactive methods to slow down biological aging, prevent premature aging, and most importantly, we must stay as healthy as possible to live longer, and happier. Factually, healthier and happier people always look younger than their own age.
