Skin changes with age and these changes can make you look older than you really are. Fortunately, compound pharmacists have developed anti-aging dermatology treatments to help you fight the effects of aging.
Wrinkles, age spots and dryness begin to appear over the years, for example. Skin also loses fat, stops retaining moisture and becomes thinner, all of which make your skin look less plump and smooth. Your skin might take longer to heal, too.
Sunlight plays a significant role in skin aging. Exposure to the ultraviolet (UV) irradiation in sunlight and artificial UV sources causes premature aging of the skin, known as photoaging. Lifetime exposure to UV radiation can increase the risk for sun damage and photoaging on the most visible parts of the body, such as the face, neck, and back of the hand; women often show signs of photoaging on their upper chest, where v-neck blouses and sweaters expose the skin there.
Signs of photoaging include:
- Visible blood vessels and spider veins on the nose, cheeks, neck, and upper chest
- Freckles, uneven skin color
- Brown spots, known as age or liver spots
- General loss of skin tone in sun-exposed areas
- Wrinkles around the eyes and mouth, which increase in number and become deeper over time
- Forehead frown lines
- Red, rough scaly spots, which may be precancerous and require treatment
Dead skin cells on the top layer of skin can lead to wrinkles and loss of elasticity. Skin regenerates itself by shedding dead skin cells on a regular basis. Through this natural process, known as skin cell turnover, replaces skin cells about once a month in adults. After the age of about 50, though, skin cell turnover slows down to about once every 45 to 90 days. Dead skin cells can build up on the surface of the skin, which makes the skin look duller.
