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Aging changes in skin

Show Alternative Names
Wrinkles - aging changes
Thinning of skin

Aging changes in the skin are a group of common conditions and developments that occur as people grow older.

Information

Skin changes are among the most visible signs of aging. Evidence of increasing age includes wrinkles and sagging skin. Whitening or graying of the hair is another obvious sign of aging.

Your skin does many things. It:

  • Contains nerve receptors that allow you to feel touch, pain, and pressure
  • Helps control fluid and electrolyte balance
  • Helps control your body temperature
  • Protects you from the environment

Although skin has many layers, it can generally be divided into three main parts:

  • The outer part (epidermis) contains skin cells, pigment, and proteins.
  • The middle part (dermis) contains skin cells, blood vessels, nerves, hair follicles, and oil glands. The dermis provides nutrients to the epidermis.
  • The inner layer under the dermis (the subcutaneous layer) contains sweat glands, some hair follicles, blood vessels, and fat.

Each layer also contains connective tissue with collagen fibers to give support and elastin fibers to provide flexibility and strength.

Components of skin - Animation

Skin is the body's largest organ. About six pounds (about 2.7 kilograms) of skin cover eighteen square feet (1.67 square meters) on an average adult. The top layer of skin is called the epidermis. It protects the underlying skin layers from the outside environment and contains cells that make keratin, a substance that waterproofs and strengthens the skin. The epidermis also has cells that contain melanin, the dark pigment that gives skin its color. Other cells in the epidermis allow us to feel the sensation of touch and provide the body with immunity against foreign invaders like germs and bacteria. The very bottom layer of the skin is the hypodermis. It contains the fat cells, or adipose tissue, that insulate the body and help it conserve heat. The layer between the epidermis and the hypodermis is the dermis. It contains the cells that give skin strength, support, and flexibility. As a person ages, the cells in the dermis lose their strength and flexibility, causing the skin to lose its youthful appearance. Located in the dermis are sensory receptors. They allow the body to receive stimulation from the outside environment and experience pressure, pain, and temperature. Small blood vessels provide the skin with nutrients, and remove its waste products. Sebaceous glands produce the oil in the skin, which keeps it from drying out. The oil from the sebaceous glands also helps to soften hair and kill bacteria that get in the skin's pores. These oil glands are all over the body, except on the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet.

Skin changes are related to environmental factors, genetic makeup, nutrition, and other factors. The greatest single factor, though, is sun exposure. You can see this by comparing areas of your body that have regular sun exposure with areas that are protected from sunlight.

Natural pigments seem to provide some protection against sun-induced skin damage. Blue-eyed, fair-skinned people show more aging skin changes than people with darker, more heavily pigmented skin.

AGING CHANGES

With aging, the outer skin layer (epidermis) thins, even though the number of cell layers remains unchanged.

The number of pigment-containing cells (melanocytes) decreases. The remaining melanocytes increase in size. Aging skin looks thinner, paler, and clear (translucent). Pigmented spots including age spots or "liver spots" may appear in sun-exposed areas. The medical term for these areas is lentigos.

Changes in the connective tissue reduce the skin's strength and elasticity. This is known as elastosis. It is more noticeable in sun-exposed areas (solar elastosis). Elastosis produces the leathery, weather-beaten appearance common to farmers, sailors, and others who spend a large amount of time outdoors.

The blood vessels of the dermis become more fragile. This leads to bruising, bleeding under the skin (often called senile purpura), and cherry angiomas.

Sebaceous glands produce less oil as you age. Men experience a minimal decrease, most often after the age of 80. Women gradually produce less oil beginning after menopause. This can make it harder to keep the skin moist, resulting in dryness and itchiness.

The subcutaneous fat layer thins so it has less insulation and padding. This increases your risk of skin injury and reduces your ability to maintain body temperature. Because you have less natural insulation, you can get hypothermia in cold weather.

Some medicines are absorbed by the fat layer. Shrinkage of this layer may change the way that these medicines work.

The sweat glands produce less sweat. This makes it harder to keep cool. Your risk for overheating or developing heat stroke increases.

Growths such as skin tags, warts, brown rough patches (seborrheic keratoses), and other blemishes are more common in older people. Also common are pinkish rough patches (actinic keratosis) which have a small chance of becoming a skin cancer. Skin cancers are also common and usually located in sun-exposed areas.

EFFECT OF CHANGES

As you age, you are at increased risk for skin injury. Your skin is thinner, more fragile, and you lose some of the protective fat layer. You also may be less able to sense touch, pressure, vibration, heat, and cold.

Rubbing or pulling on the skin can cause skin tears. Fragile blood vessels can break easily. Bruises, flat collections of blood (purpura), and raised collections of blood (hematomas) may form after even a minor injury.

Pressure ulcers can be caused by skin changes, loss of the fat layer, reduced activity, poor nutrition, and illnesses. Sores are most easily seen on the outside surface of the forearms, but they can occur anywhere on the body.

Aging skin repairs itself more slowly than younger skin. Wound healing may be up to 4 times slower. This contributes to pressure ulcers and infections. Diabetes, blood vessel changes, lowered immunity, and other factors also affect healing.

COMMON PROBLEMS

Skin disorders are so common among older people that it is often hard to tell normal changes from those related to a disorder. More than 90% of all older people have some type of skin disorder.

Skin disorders can be caused by many conditions, including:

  • Blood vessel diseases, such as atherosclerosis
  • Diabetes
  • Heart disease
  • Liver disease
  • Nutritional deficiencies
  • Obesity
  • Reactions to medicines
  • Stress

Other causes of skin changes:

  • Allergies to plants and other substances
  • Climate
  • Clothing
  • Exposures to industrial and household chemicals
  • Indoor heating

Sunlight can cause:

  • Loss of elasticity (elastosis)
  • Noncancerous skin growths (keratoacanthomas)
  • Pigment changes such as liver spots
  • Thickening of the skin

Sun exposure has also been directly linked to skin cancers, including basal cell cancer, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma.

PREVENTION

Because most skin changes are related to sun exposure, prevention is a lifelong process.

  • Prevent sunburn if at all possible.
  • Use a good quality sunscreen when outdoors, even in the winter.
  • Wear protective clothing and a hat when needed.

Good nutrition and adequate fluids are also helpful. Dehydration increases the risk of skin injury. Sometimes minor nutritional deficiencies can cause rashes, skin lesions, and other skin changes, even if you have no other symptoms.

Keep skin moist with lotions and other moisturizers. . Do not use soaps that are strongly detergent (drying) or heavily perfumed. Bath oils are not recommended because they can cause you to slip and fall. Moist skin is more comfortable and will heal more quickly.

RELATED TOPICS

Review Date: 7/21/2022

Reviewed By

Frank D. Brodkey, MD, FCCM, Associate Professor, Section of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.

References

Standring S. Skin and its appendages. In: Standring S, ed. Gray's Anatomy. 42nd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2021:chap 7.

Tobin DJ, Veysey EC, Finlay AY. Aging and the skin. In: Fillit HM, Rockwood K, Young J, eds. Brocklehurst's Textbook of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology. 8th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2017:chap 25.

Walston JD. Common clinical sequelae of aging. In: Goldman L, Schafer AI, eds. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 26th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 22.

Disclaimer

The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. No warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, is made as to the accuracy, reliability, timeliness, or correctness of any translations made by a third-party service of the information provided herein into any other language. © 1997- A.D.A.M., a business unit of Ebix, Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.

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Components of skin - Animation

The average adult has about 6 pounds of skin covering 18 square feet, making skin the body's largest organ. Let's look at how the skin is put together. Skin has three layers. The top layer is the epidermis. It protects the other layers from the outside environment. It contains cells that make keratin, which waterproofs and strengthens the skin. The epidermis also has cells with melanin, the dark pigment that gives skin its color. Other cells in the epidermis allow us to feel touch and provide immunity against invaders like bacteria and other germs.

The bottom layer is the hypodermis. It contains fat cells, or adipose tissue, that insulate the body and help conserve heat.Between the epidermis and hypodermis is the dermis. It contains cells that give skin strength, support, and flexibility.As we age, cells in the dermis lose their strength and flexibility, causing the skin to lose its youthful appearance.

The dermis has sensory receptors that allow the body to receive stimulation from the outside and feel pressure, pain, and temperature.A network of blood vessels provide the skin with nutrients, and remove waste products.

Sebaceous glands produce oil that keeps the skin from drying out. Oil from the sebaceous glands also helps to soften hair and to kill bacteria in the pores of the skin.

These glands cover the whole body, except for the palms of the hands and soles of the feet.

 

Components of skin - Animation

The average adult has about 6 pounds of skin covering 18 square feet, making skin the body's largest organ. Let's look at how the skin is put together. Skin has three layers. The top layer is the epidermis. It protects the other layers from the outside environment. It contains cells that make keratin, which waterproofs and strengthens the skin. The epidermis also has cells with melanin, the dark pigment that gives skin its color. Other cells in the epidermis allow us to feel touch and provide immunity against invaders like bacteria and other germs.

The bottom layer is the hypodermis. It contains fat cells, or adipose tissue, that insulate the body and help conserve heat.Between the epidermis and hypodermis is the dermis. It contains cells that give skin strength, support, and flexibility.As we age, cells in the dermis lose their strength and flexibility, causing the skin to lose its youthful appearance.

The dermis has sensory receptors that allow the body to receive stimulation from the outside and feel pressure, pain, and temperature.A network of blood vessels provide the skin with nutrients, and remove waste products.

Sebaceous glands produce oil that keeps the skin from drying out. Oil from the sebaceous glands also helps to soften hair and to kill bacteria in the pores of the skin.

These glands cover the whole body, except for the palms of the hands and soles of the feet.

 
 
 
 

 

 
 

 
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