Aging changes in the skin are a group of common conditions and developments that occur as people grow older.
Skin changes are among the most visible signs of aging. Evidence of increasing age includes wrinkles and sagging skin. Whitening or graying of the hair is another obvious sign of aging.
Your skin does many things. It:
- Contains nerve receptors that allow you to feel touch, pain, and pressure
- Helps control fluid and electrolyte balance
- Helps control your body temperature
- Protects you from the environment
Although skin has many layers, it can generally be divided into three main parts:
- The outer part (epidermis) contains skin cells, pigment, and proteins.
- The middle part (dermis) contains skin cells, blood vessels, nerves, hair follicles, and oil glands. The dermis provides nutrients to the epidermis.
- The inner layer under the dermis (the subcutaneous layer) contains sweat glands, some hair follicles, blood vessels, and fat.
- Each layer also contains connective tissue with collagen fibers to give support and elastin fibers to provide flexibility and strength
Components of the Skin
Skin changes are related to environmental factors, genetic makeup, nutrition, and other factors. The greatest single factor, though, is sun exposure. You can see this by comparing areas of your body that have regular sun exposure with areas that are protected from sunlight.
Skin changes are related to environmental factors, genetic makeup, nutrition, and other factors. The greatest single factor, though, is sun exposure. You can see this by comparing areas of your body that have regular sun exposure with areas that are protected from sunlight.
Natural pigments seem to provide some protection against sun-induced skin damage. Blue-eyed, fair-skinned people show more aging skin changes than people with darker, more heavily pigmented skin.
AGING CHANGES
With aging, the outer skin layer (epidermis) thins, even though the number of cell layers remains unchanged.
The number of pigment-containing cells (melanocytes) decreases. The remaining melanocytes increase in size. Aging skin looks thinner, paler, and clear (translucent). Pigmented spots including age spots or “liver spots” may appear in sun-exposed areas. The medical term for these areas is lentigos.
Changes in the connective tissue reduce the skin’s strength and elasticity. This is known as elastosis. It is more noticeable in sun-exposed areas (solar elastosis). Elastosis produces the leathery, weather-beaten appearance common to farmers, sailors, and others who spend a large amount of time outdoors.
The blood vessels of the dermis become more fragile. This leads to bruising, bleeding under the skin (often called senile purpura), cherry angiomas, and similar conditions.
Sebaceous glands produce less oil as you age. Men experience a minimal decrease, most often after the age of 80. Women gradually produce less oil beginning after menopause. This can make it harder to keep the skin moist, resulting in dryness and itchiness.
The subcutaneous fat layer thins so it has less insulation and padding. This increases your risk of skin injury and reduces your ability to maintain body temperature. Because you have less natural insulation, you can get hypothermia in cold weather.
Some medicines are absorbed by the fat layer. Shrinkage of this layer may change the way that these medicines work.
The sweat glands produce less sweat. This makes it harder to keep cool. Your risk for overheating or developing heat stroke increases.
Growths such as skin tags, warts, brown rough patches (seborrheic keratoses), and other blemishes are more common in older people. Also common are pinkish rough patches (actinic keratosis) which have a small chance of becoming a skin cancer.
EFFECT OF CHANGES
As you age, you are at increased risk for skin injury. Your skin is thinner, more fragile, and you lose some of the protective fat layer. You also may be less able to sense touch, pressure, vibration, heat, and cold.
Rubbing or pulling on the skin can cause skin tears. Fragile blood vessels can break easily. Bruises, flat collections of blood (purpura), and raised collections of blood (hematomas) may form after even a minor injury.
Pressure ulcers can be caused by skin changes, loss of the fat layer, reduced activity, poor nutrition, and illnesses. Sores are most easily seen on the outside surface of the forearms, but they can occur anywhere on the body.
Aging skin repairs itself more slowly than younger skin. Wound healing may be up to 4 times slower. This contributes to pressure ulcers and infections. Diabetes, blood vessel changes, lowered immunity, and other factors also affect healing.
COMMON PROBLEMS
Skin disorders are so common among older people that it is often hard to tell normal changes from those related to a disorder. More than 90% of all older people have some type of skin disorder.
Skin disorders can be caused by many conditions, including:
- Blood vessel diseases, such as arteriosclerosis
- Diabetes
- Heart disease
- Liver disease
- Nutritional deficiencies
- Obesity
- Reactions to medicines
- Stress
Other causes of skin changes:
- Allergies to plants and other substances
- Climate
- Clothing
- Exposures to industrial and household chemicals
- Indoor heating
Sunlight can cause:
- Loss of elasticity (elastosis)
- Noncancerous skin growths (keratoacanthomas)
- Pigment changes such as liver spots
- Thickening of the skin
Sun exposure has also been directly linked to skin cancers, including basal cell cancer, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma.
PREVENTION
Because most skin changes are related to sun exposure, prevention is a lifelong process.
- Prevent sunburn if at all possible.
- Use a good quality sunscreen when outdoors, even in the winter.
- Wear protective clothing and a hat when needed.
Good nutrition and adequate fluids are also helpful. Dehydration increases the risk of skin injury. Sometimes minor nutritional deficiencies can cause rashes, skin lesions, and other skin changes, even if you have no other symptoms.
Keep skin moist with lotions and other moisturizers. Do not use soaps that are heavily perfumed. Bath oils are not recommended because they can cause you to slip and fall. Moist skin is more comfortable and will heal more quickly.
Your body shape changes naturally as you age. You cannot avoid some of these changes, but your lifestyle choices may slow or speed the process.
The human body is made up of fat, lean tissue (muscles and organs), bones, and water. After age 30, people tend to lose lean tissue. Your muscles, liver, kidney, and other organs may lose some of their cells. This process of muscle loss is called atrophy. Bones may lose some of their minerals and become less dense (a condition called osteopenia in the early stages and osteoporosis in the later stages). Tissue loss reduces the amount of water in your body.
The amount of body fat goes up steadily after age 30. Older people may have almost one third more fat compared to when they were younger. Fat tissue builds up toward the center of the body, including around the internal organs. However, the layer of fat under the skin gets smaller.
The tendency to become shorter occurs among all races and both sexes. Height loss is related to aging changes in the bones, muscles, and joints. People typically lose almost one-half inch (about 1 centimeter) every 10 years after age 40. Height loss is even more rapid after age 70. You may lose a total of 1 to 3 inches (2.5 to 7.5 centimeters) in height as you age. You can help prevent height loss by following a healthy diet, staying physically active, and preventing and treating bone loss.
Less leg muscles and stiffer joints can make moving around harder. Excess body fat and changes in body shape can affect your balance. These body changes can make falls more likely.
Changes in total body weight vary for men and women. Men often gain weight until about age 55, and then begin to lose weight later in life. This may be related to a drop in the male sex hormone testosterone. Women usually gain weight until age 65, and then begin to lose weight. Weight loss later in life occurs partly because fat replaces lean muscle tissue, and fat weighs less than muscle. Diet and exercise habits can play a large role in a person’s weight changes over their lifetime.
Your lifestyle choices affect how quickly the aging process takes place. Some things you can do to reduce age-related body changes are:
- Get regular exercise.
- Eat a healthy diet that includes fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and the right amounts of healthy fats.
- Limit your alcohol use.
- Avoid tobacco products and illicit drugs.
The appearance of the face and neck typically changes with age. Loss of muscle tone and thinning skin gives the face a flabby or drooping appearance. In some people, sagging jowls may create the look of a double chin.
Your skin also dries out and the underlying layer of fat shrinks so that your face no longer has a plump, smooth surface. To some extent, wrinkles cannot be avoided. However, sun exposure and cigarette smoking are likely to make them develop more quickly. The number and size of blotches and dark spots on the face increase as well. These pigment changes are largely due to sun exposure.
Missing teeth and receding gums change the appearance of the mouth, so your lips may look shrunken. Loss of bone mass in the jaw reduces the size of the lower face and makes your forehead, nose, and mouth more pronounced. Your nose may also lengthen slightly.
The ears may lengthen in some people (probably caused by cartilage growth). Men may develop hair in their ears that becomes longer, coarser, and more noticeable as they age. Ear wax becomes drier because there are fewer wax glands in the ears and they produce less oil. The hardened ear wax can block the ear canal and affect your ability to hear.
Eyebrows and eyelashes turn gray. As in other parts of the face, the skin around the eyes gets wrinkles, creating crow’s feet at the side of the eyes.
Fat from the eyelids settles into the eye sockets. This can make your eyes look sunken. The lower eyelids can slacken and bags can develop under your eyes. Weakening of the muscle that supports the upper eyelid can make the eyelids droop. This may limit vision.
The outer surface of the eye (cornea) may develop a grayish-white ring. The colored portion of the eye (iris) loses pigment, making most very elderly people appear to have gray or light blue eyes.
*Video and images are referenced from MedLine.
**This article was adopted from MedLine