The signs of aging begin as early as our mid-twenties, and they affect all of us. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways you can fight the affects aging and retain or regain your youthful, healthy-looking skin. You can look and feel much younger.
Skin aging begins early
The domino effect of skin aging begins with the breakdown of elastin and collagen, which form the protein structure of skin cells. These protein fibers support your skin tissue and keep it taut while allowing it to stretch as you move.
With time and environmental factors, collagen is lost. This loss, coupled with repetitive facial expressions, causes wrinkles and lines to appear on the face and other skin areas. Exposure to the sun causes further damage, such as the development of dark, unsightly age spots.
Stages of life play a role in skin aging
The stages of life also play an important role in the aging of your skin. Some of the changes in skin fade away with time, while others may require treatment.
For example, the fluctuations in hormone levels during pregnancy or menopause can cause visible aging effects to the skin.
In pregnancy some women develop acne or even patches of brown or gray-brown skin on the nose and cheeks (called melasma). Of course, rapidly-stretched skin may leave “stretch marks” and unsightly sagging skin around the abdomen.
Likewise, menopause also takes a toll on your skin. Hormonal changes can speed the natural aging process and make sun damage worse. Low estrogen levels during menopause also affect your body’s production of elastin and collagen, which leads to saggy skin.
And, as your skin ages, it also produces less oil from sebaceous glands. This causes drier skin and worsens any wrinkles.
The skin of men and women ages differently
Men and women have different kinds of skin, which age differently. Men tend to have thicker, oilier skin with larger pores. They’re also more prone to develop skin cancers.
Men also tend to neglect their skin more than women, so they appear to age more quickly. Still, both sexes benefit from appropriate skin care and anti-aging treatments.
Focus on the face
Since we’re so focused on the face, we tend to forget the other areas of the body where skin also shows signs of aging. Yet, wrinkles, lines, sun spots and loose skin can also be found on the arms, neck, hands and décolletage.
Still, most of today’s anti-aging treatments are applied first to the face, where the improvements are most noticeable. Once your face looks younger and fresher, you feel younger overall.
Today there are alternatives to aging
Nowadays, the art and science of dermatology and aesthetics offer a wide range of anti-aging treatments that can help you look and feel younger.
Treatments that can restore youthful appearance include topical antioxidants, laser skin resurfacing, IPL, dermal fillers, neuromodulators such as Botox and Dysport, body contouring, and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) treatments.
As a result, your skin can look younger, fresher and healthier. Best of all, most treatments are non-invasive or minimally-invasive, so there’s little or no downtime.
Do you want to look younger and more relaxed? We can help
At Mountain View Dermatology & Aesthetics we have more than 25 years of experience in using the most advanced anti-aging treatments to help people look and feel their best. To learn more, just contact us.