Skin is the body’s largest organ, and when it comes to our age, skin is also the most revealing. More than any other physical characteristic, our years are manifested by sagging skin, dry skin, thinning skin, wrinkles, and hyperpigmentation such as age spots.
Because our skin changes so much as we age, it is necessary to change your skincare routine right along with it. For men and women who are beginning to see the signs of aging, tailor your skincare routine by learning more about the comon skin conditions that accompany aging and the available treatments.
Continue reading to learn which skin treatments are most effective, and which skin treatments can be performed at home, compared to the skin treatments provided by skin care professionals.
Also learn which anti aging skin care products are most effective for treating age related skin conditions, including the best wrinkle creams, the best eye creams, and the best anti aging creams available.
What Causes Dry Skin?
As we age, the body becomes less effective at producing the hormones responsible for keeping the skin hydrated.Specifically, the oil produced by the Sebaceous glands decreases. This often leads to dry skin, and with dry skin comes flaky skin or scaly skin, dry skin patches, and sometimes a dry skin rash, all of which are unsightly and usually uncomfortable and itchy.
Treating Dry Skin
Besides a hydrating moisturizer, dry skin can be prevented by avoiding arid environments such as winter weather and indoor central heating. Also avoid taking long showers with hot water.
Learn more about skin care remedies for dry skin that you can do at home.Video revealing which moisturizer works best on dry skin
What Causes Age Spots?
As we age, patches of discolored pigmentation appear on the back of our hands, feet and face. These patches are usually referred to age spots, but are also known as liver spots and sun spots.
Age spots are caused by photoaging, the damage done to our skin by sun exposure. When our skin is exposed to ultraviolet light, our melanin production is stimulated. Areas with increased Melanin production manifest in brown spots many years later.
Treating Age Spots
There are many non-invasive procedures that can aid in the treatment of age spots. Professional skin care treatments include:
What Causes Skin to Thin as We Age?
As we age, our rate of cellular renewal slows down. This causes the epidermis (the outer layer of skin) to thin. Also, Melanocytes, the cells that give our skin its pigment, decreases. Together, these conditions cause aging skin to appear thinner, paler, and more translucent. Thin skin is more than just a cosmetic problem. Thin skin is very fragile and can easily tear when bumped against.
Skin care treatments for thinning skin
Avoid premature thinning by protecting your skin from the sun. You can also delay thinning by maintaining a skin friendly diet that is rich in vitamins and antioxidants. Additionally, adequate water intake will insure your skin stays hydrated, which can better fortify the skin against tearing.
Further help thin skin stay hydrated with quality moisturizers. Moisturizers infused with Retin A (Retinol cream) can improve thinning skin’s ability to withstand tearing.
What Causes Skin to Sag As We Age?
As previously mentioned, skin begins to thin as we grow older. We also begin to lose subcutaneous fat, which is responsible for making our skin look plump and youthful. Furthermore, the body decreases production of collagen and elastin, the supportive proteins that keep our skin firm. All these factors allow gravity to have a stronger pull and our skin begins to sag.
Preventing Sagging Skin
Preventive measures can delay the rate at which your skin begins to sag. As always, protecting your skin against sun exposure is the most effective way of postponing sagging skin. Using skin care products that stimulate skin renewal and prompt elastin and collagen production can delay the thinning and breakdown of the epidermis. The best anti aging creams contain Retinol and Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHAs.)
Skin Tightening Treatments
When it comes to anti aging skin care, sagging or loose skin can be the most difficult skin condition to treat.
According to Ranella Hirsch, a dermatologist speaking for the American Society of Dermatologic Surgery “Tightening sagging skin requires more intervention than any other problem.”
Intervention for sagging skin includes both invasive cosmetic surgeries such as a facelift or neck lift, as well as non-invasive alternatives. Thermage is one such alternative that uses a non-invasive laser to tighten skin by stimulating the production of new collagen and tightening the existing fibrous bands that support the skin.
What Cause Our Skin to Wrinkle as We Age?
Several factors, some biological and some environmental cause wrinkles and fine lines within the skin. As we grow older, wrinkles are the natural consequence of thinning skin and loss of fatty tissue below the skin on our face. We also develop motor wrinkles as we age. These wrinkles are caused by grooves that form under the skin by continuous skin and muscle movement, the most active of which happens on the face, especially around the eyes and mouth.
Environmental Causes of Wrinkles
Wrinkles can form prematurely due to environmental factors, the most damaging being sun exposure. Ultraviolet radiation ages skin by damaging the elastin and collagen fibers of the skin’s connective tissue. Smoking also accelerates skin aging, causing premature wrinkling around the mouth.
How to Get Rid of Wrinkles
Once wrinkles form, you can’t get rid of them, however, there are several treatments that that can soften wrinkles and diminish the signs of aging.
The best anti aging creams to diminish wrinkles contain Retinoic Acid. Retinoic Acid, also known as Tretinoin, stimulates the formation of new collagen and can soften the appearance of wrinkles. The best eye creams for diminishing the appearance of crows feet usually contain .025% to .05% Retinoic Acid. However, anti aging creams with Retinoic Acid require a prescription and should be avoided by women who are pregnant.
Licensed laser technicians can smooth the appearance of wrinkles by removing the outer layer of dead skin and promoting collagen production.
Another effective treatment to soften the appearance of wrinkles is dermal fillers. Substances, such as Hyaluronic acid, collagen or botox is injected into the treatment area, filling in wrinkles, giving skin a rejuvenated, full and healthy look.
