ABOUT AGING AND THE SKIN

By Antin.  Aging and environment factors such as sunlight exposure, genetic, makeup, nutrition, smoking habits has many effects on personal’s skin, from wrinkles and sags to increased risk of certain skin conditions, such as skin cancer.

Skin is the body largest organ that Covering the entire outside of the body. The skin consists of three layers:

· Epidermis, part of skin that composed of skin cells, pigment, and protein

· Dermis, part of skin that composed of blood vessels, nerves, hair follicles and oil glands

· Subcutaneous tissue, part of skin that composed of sweat glands, hair follicles, blood vessels and fat)

Each layer of skin also contains connective tissue, collagen and elastin fibers for support and provides flexibility of the skin.

Our skin has several function, it serves many roles in an individual’s body. Beside protects a person from the environment, skin helps maintain fluid and electrolyte balance and provides nerve receptors. These receptors help the skin feel sensations such as pain, vibration and pressure. Skin grows faster than any other organ in the body, and people continuously renew their skin throughout their lifetime.

Aging process is a constant change from the moment a person is born. A baby’s skin tends to be soft and smooth and has a thicker layer of fat and thinner layer of keratin. As a person enters the young adult years, the skin becomes stronger and suppler.

When we getting older, aging process makes, many changes affect our skin. The outer skin layers (dermis and epidermis) begin to thin and the number of cells containing pigment (melanocytes) begins to decrease, even as the remaining melanocytes increase in size. Aging also affected connective tissue. It begins to change, reducing the skin’s strength and elasticity (elastosis) and causing it to take on a leathery appearance. The skin also dries out and begins to lose underlying fat (except in the abdomen and thighs), and fine wrinkles increasingly appear.


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