Aging Skin: Why We Get Wrinkles

A great article that relates everything we say in Mary Kay, in order to slow signs of aging, you must cleanse, exfoliate, tone, moisturize and protect the skin.

Aging Skin: Why We Get Wrinkles

You can't keep from getting older, but you can delay the appearance of aging skin and wrinkles.
By Marie Suszynski

Medically reviewed by Lindsey Marcellin, MD, MPH

As we grow older, our skin has a tendency to announce every birthday. The telltale signs of aging skin — wrinkles, age spots, and sagging due to a loss of skin elasticity — can all appear as the years go by. Understanding what causes aging skin to look the way it does will help you take preventive measures to keep it looking young.

Behind the Wrinkles

Every day the cells of the outer layer of your skin die off, shed, and regenerate, explains Jeffrey Dover, MD, a dermatologist in Chestnut Hill, Mass., associate clinical professor of dermatology at Yale University School of Medicine, and author of The Youth Equation: Take 10 Years Off Your Face.

When you’re very young, your skin cells turn over quickly, but that turnover rate begins to slow as you age, beginning as early as your twenties. As a result, your skin can lose its luster and begin to look dull.

Collagen and elastin also affect how young skin looks. They give your skin elasticity and plumpness, but they also need to be replenished, Dover says. As you get older, that replenishment process slows as well. As a result being less elastic, your skin will start to show fine lines and wrinkles.

At the same time, exposing your skin to the sun causes an increased amount of pigment to be produced, which leads to age spots over time, says dermatologist Richard Eisen, MD, founder of the South Shore Skin Center in Plymouth, Mass. Sun damage also breaks up elastic fibers in your skin, leaving your skin less able to bounce back when it wrinkles.

Smoking cigarettes speeds up the aging process of your skin, which can make wrinkles worse. And then there’s the problem of sagging skin. As we get older, we lose volume in our face from muscle and bone loss. Says Dr. Eisen, “Your skin fits very nicely when you’re young, but when you lose that volume, the skin looks like it’s too big.”

Slowing Down the Effects of Aging

For many people, the signs of aging start showing in their thirties and continue with each decade. Others seem to be born with genes for healthy, young-looking skin. But you can’t rely on genetics alone. If you neglect your skin and allow it to incur sun damage and further injury from smoking cigarettes, your appearance will suffer as a result, Dover warns.

Here’s how to slow down your skin's aging process:

Commit to cleansing. Part of keeping your skin looking young is taking care of it, Dover says. That means cleaning your face twice a day. Maintain skin moisture. Loss of moisture can make your skin look dull, flat, and older, Dover says. To avoid dry skin, apply moisturizer every day while your skin is still damp after cleansing or bathing. If your skin is very dry, Dover recommends moisturizing twice a day. Swear by sunscreen. It’s the single most important step you can take to prevent skin aging, Dover says. The American Academy of Dermatology recommends daily use of a broad-spectrum sunscreen, meaning one that protects against both UVA and UVB rays. Use a sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 30, even when it’s cloudy. You should also reapply sunscreen every two hours when outdoors. Try topicals. Dermatologists recommend using a retinoid cream to lessen the appearance the wrinkles you already have. Retinoid is a derivative of vitamin A that helps stimulate the production of collagen and reverses thinning of the skin, which makes your skin thicker and smoother, Eisen says. You’ll get the best results from prescription creams such as tretinoin (Retin-A, Renova) and tazarotene (Tazorac, Avage). Retinol is a less potent vitamin A ingredient found in over-the-counter creams and lotions. Curb crash diets. Losing weight quickly can lead to sagging skin because it can deplete fat in your face, Eisen says. Maintaining a healthy diet and weight is best for keeping your skin looking young. Your skin is going to age along with the rest of your body, but there are steps you can take to slow the visible effects.

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