What Ages Us?

When, exactly, did it all start? Where did our carefree youth disappear to, the time when only an occasional blemish could ruin our day? It seems only yesterday that your reflection was flawless, no lines, age spot or sagging to speak of-then like some silent enemy, time creeps it and begins to take its toll. We might not be able to completely dodge the effects of aging, but understanding how and why it happens can teach us a lot about slowing the aging process.

Intrinsic & Extrinsic Aging

There are two basic types of aging: intrinsic (or chronological) and extrinsic (or environmental). The first type, intrinsic aging, has to do with the inevitable passage of time and the conditions that arise because of it. In the 1960s, scientists discovered that the root of aging lay deep within our skin cells' DNA. The good news is that you can lessen the appearance of some of the conditions (and visible signs) that come with intrinsic aging.

Intrinsic Aging-Signs Include:

Dry skin: As we age, the skin's oils glands produce significantly less oil, resulting in pronounced dehydration which makes wrinkles more apparent.
Wrinkles: The natural loss of elastin and collagen is largely to blame for the appearance of wrinkles. Years of dynamic expressions, in the form of smiling, laughing, frowning and squinting also contribute to wrinkles.
Large pores: Largely considered the enemy because they can make the complexion look rough and uneven. As we age, the loss of the skin's underlying support system prompts the pores to become even larger.
Redness: A cluster of fine red lines appear most frequently on the cheeks and nose-mainly due to the proliferation of tiny broken capillaries underneath the skin.
Decreased healing capability: Starting in our thirties, the turnover rate of epidermal cells slows down dramatically, resulting in both a dulled complexion and a decreased ability to heal wounds.

The second type of aging is more sinister, if only because it falls within our control. Extrinsic aging is responsible for most of the harm that we view as aged skin, and it is brought on by external factors like smoking, pollution, sleep deprivation, poor nutrition, and of course the big culprit-exposure to the sun. Because this process is avoidable and often self-inflicted, it often referred to as premature aging. It's also important to note that skin cancer occurs almost exclusively to prematurely aged skin.

Extrinsic Aging-Signs Include:
In addition to the natural signs of aging, many people experience the following:

Increased roughness: As free radicals, mainly from sunlight, destroy the skin's collagen and elastin, the skin cells start to turn over in an irregular fashion resulting in scaly patches of rough skin.
Spots everywhere: Constant exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays makes our skin pigment act abnormally, resulting in spots throughout the face, upper chest, and hands-basically anywhere the sun has shone on.
Excessive wrinkling: Even more pronounced wrinkling, particularly on the cheeks, neck and forehead, is usually seen only in individuals who have been exposed to the sun.
Sagging skin: Think of elastin as rubber bands and the sun as a scissor. Now imagine the scissor (the sun) cutting the rubber band (elastin) into tiny pieces. How much bounce will those tiny rubber fragments now have? Not much, and that's exactly what happens with environmental damage.