How aging affects your skin
 Common changes
How your skin works
How aging affects the health of your skin
Age spots
Solar elastosis
Seborrheic keratoses
Cherry angiomas
Skin tags
You may not think of it this way, but your skin is your body's first line of defense against the environment around you.
It helps protect you from injury, infection and harmful substances. It also helps regulate your body temperature and plays a role in your sense of touch.
As you age, you may notice your skin change in appearance and function. Strange spots may appear, or your skin may feel drier. You may notice these changes and wonder if they're normal. Knowing what to expect can help. Take a closer look at how aging affects your skin and what common age-related skin conditions you may experience.
[Top]
Your skin has three layers, each with unique functions:
The epidermis. This very thin, protective outer layer is composed of skin cells that you continually shed. The very outer surface is made up of dead skin cells. Squamous cells lie just below the outer surface. Basal cells, which produce new skin cells, are at the bottom of the epidermis.
The dermis. The dermis, which lies under the epidermis, makes up the majority of the thickness of your skin. It contains a dense meshwork of collagen and elastin fibers, two types of protein. This meshwork supports lymph and blood vessels, nerves, muscle cells, sweat and oil-producing glands, and hair follicles. Collagen and elastin fibers give your skin its strength and elasticity.
Subcutaneous tissue. Under the epidermis and dermis lies subcutaneous tissue composed primarily of fat. This skin layer insulates and protects your inner organs and helps give your skin its resilience.
[Top]
 With age, your skin generally becomes thinner and finely wrinkled. Oil-producing glands become less active, and your skin becomes drier. The protective layer of subcutaneous fat diminishes. And your dermis can get thinner and more fragile, so you lose your youthful color and glow. You may also experience bruising after very minor bumps to your skin.
Your skin replaces old cells more slowly, and cells repair themselves less effectively. This can result in slower turnover of surface skin and slower wound healing. Cigarette smoking and excessive exposure to the sun also can contribute to these changes. In some cases, changes in connective tissue can cause your skin to lose its resilience and give your skin a tough, weathered appearance.
With age, you may also accumulate an assortment of markings and skin growths, such as age spots and skin tags. Fortunately, most are harmless and don't require removal. Following are some generally harmless age-related skin markings you might encounter through the years. Don't attempt to diagnose these markings yourself, though. Have your doctor check any suspicious growths, which in some cases, may be something more serious, such as melanoma.
[Top]
 Also called liver spots and senile lentigines, these flat, gray, brown or black spots are very common in those older than age 40. They range in size and usually appear on your face, hands and arms — areas most exposed to the sun. They may darken with sun exposure.
True age spots never become cancerous and don't need treatment. However, they can look like cancerous growths. For cosmetic reasons, they can be lightened with skin-bleaching products or removed. You can help prevent new spots by avoiding the sun and using sunscreen.
[Top]
Excessive exposure to sunlight over many years damages collagen and the elastin fibers that support your skin. This can lead to loose, sagging, tough skin that can look much older than normal (solar elastosis). This condition is common in those who spend much of their life outside. In addition to solar elastosis, this man also has seborrheic keratoses — the smaller spots on his shoulder and chest.
[Top]
These tan, brown or black growths have a wart-like or waxy, pasted-on appearance and range in size from very small to more than 1 inch (3 centimeters) across. Their cause is unknown.
Typically, seborrheic keratoses don't become cancerous, but they can resemble skin cancer. Your doctor may recommend removal for examination under a microscope. You may also want them removed if they get irritated or bleed when your clothing rubs against them.
Seborrheic keratoses can be removed by freezing with liquid nitrogen (cryosurgery) or scraping (curettage).
[Top]
These small, generally harmless cherry-red bumps are common during and after middle age. They're created by dilated blood vessels, but why this happens is unknown. They can be removed for cosmetic reasons with electrosurgery or laser therapy.
[Top]
Skin tags are small, soft, skin-colored growths that protrude from your skin, usually on your neck, armpit or groin. Their cause is unknown. They're generally harmless, but they can be snipped off or removed by cryosurgery or electrosurgery.
[Top]
Major depression
Schizophrenia
|
|
|||||| |
gulfMD Copyright© 2001-2012, All Rights Reserved.
The Site can be best viewed in IE above 4.0 or Netscape 4.7,
with resolution as 1024x768
|
| | 
