Slowing down the aging process of the skin is the cornerstone problem of cosmetology. Until recently, it was believed that the skin begins to age by the age of 40, when the first pronounced wrinkles appear. And cosmetics mainly fought against wrinkles. Now it is quite obvious that the aging process of the skin begins long before the appearance of visible signs and it begins at the cellular level for about thirty years. Currently, researchers have a large amount of biomedical scientific knowledge about the structure and functioning of the skin, oxidative stress and its causes, intracellular mechanisms of adaptation and repair, the quality and intensity of intercellular interactions.
It is accepted for today,that aging of the skin is not only about visible signs: wrinkles, uneven pigmentation, gravitational sagging of the skin, dryness, etc. First of all, these are cellular and tissue signs of skin aging, changes in subtle processes occurring in the epidermis and dermis.
Aging mechanisms affect the most important cellular organelles:
- DNA- the most important element of storage and implementation of hereditary information;
- mitochondria- a unique organelle to provide the cell with energy and ensure its survival in difficult conditions;
- cell membrane- regulator of signal transmission from the outside and selective permeability of substances.
With any external influence on the skin, complex processes are launched in the skin cells - they exchange information and coordinate a joint response to external challenges. These processes are very active in youth. But with age, they fade away, a certain imbalance of internal processes occurs and the skin begins to age. This raises the question of how to help the skin effectively resist aging in young, mature and old age.
All theories describing the mechanisms of skin aging, and there are more than 300 of them, can be divided into two large groups - aging based on internal (endogenous) and external (exogenous) factors. Endogenous aging is caused by information encoded in our DNA and there is no way to influence this aspect yet. Exogenous aging is the total result of the accumulating effect of aggressive environmental factors, including ultraviolet and infrared radiation, ozone from urban smog, cigarette smoke, etc. A noticeable shift in the study of aging processes from external factors occurred at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries. Now, no one doubts the fact that external factors determine 60-80% of the total volume of aging (data for facial skin). Ultraviolet is recognized as the most dangerous.
Signs of skin aging in numbers
Age-related changes usually appear externally, and signs of skin aging can be noticed. Here is a list of the most common skin changes and their appearance. Research in recent years has made it possible to calculate in numbers many of the aging processes.
- The collagen content in the dermis, which is necessary to ensure the strength of the skin, drops by 1% every year after 30 years.
- After 40 years, the skin becomes thinner by 1% annually.
- A skin cell restores 10-100 thousand mutations in DNA within a day, and 2 hours of exposure to the sun provides up to 1 million mutations.
- 15 minutes of exposure to the sun depletes the skin's own reserves of antioxidants (primarily vitamins C and E) by 70-90%, which requires at least 2 hours to recover.
- Of all the protein that is synthesized in the cell, 40% is produced with errors - an uninterrupted operation of the cellular mechanisms for its utilization and processing is required.
- In total, the body contains about 15 g of hyaluronic acid, and of which 10 g falls on the skin. A complete renewal of all hyaluronic acid occurs in the body in three (! ) Days - any failure in the work of skin cells for the synthesis of hyaluronic acid turns into a micro-catastrophe for the skin.
- Decreased elasticity of the stratum corneum and epidermis. With age, the stratum corneum becomes thicker, and the upper layer, on the contrary, becomes thinner (from 30 to 70 years - twice). The firmness of the skin decreases and the skin becomes dull.
- Reducing the amount of water in the stratum corneum. With age, the amount of water in the skin changes: 75-70% up to 25 years old to 63-65% in older people. The skin becomes dry, less dense, and the sensitivity of the skin increases.
- Increased skin pigmentation. Over time, due to the negative effects of the sun, age spots appear on the skin.
- With age, the activity of the sebaceous glands decreases. As a result, the skin becomes drier and more vulnerable to free radicals.
The main cause of skin aging is a decrease in the rate of repair
All functions of the skin and recovery processes are preserved in humans even in extreme old age. The problem is that their speed is slowing down. If young skin is able to react to a negative impulse and stop its adverse effects in 12 hours, then older skin already needs 30 hours. Thus, it is obvious that in an elderly person, the recovery processes are extremely slow. That is, the intact skin of a young and an elderly person is equally effective as a barrier and protection. The differences become sharply noticeable when the skin is damaged and the need to restore the destroyed structures and mechanisms. Taking into account that our skin is in conditions of continuous aggression of external factors, then the older the age, the more intensively the snowball of "untreated" destruction and damage grows. That is, mature skin does not have time to cope with damage, and they, accumulating, appear in the form of external signs of aging. That is, all the signs of aging are "untreated" skin lesions.
Stages of age-related changes in the skin and care features
Young skin is differenthigh content of their own "molecules of youth", high intensity of recovery processes. Young skin is much denser than mature skin, it is more elastic, its structural fibers, collagen and elastin, are ordered. The cell renewal rate is approximately 28 days. The first age-related changes in the skin begin to occur from the age of 25. Therefore, the main focus in the cosmetics of this age group is protection and prevention. It includes protection from ultraviolet radiation, support of water and lipid balance in the skin, the mandatory use of various antioxidants.
Mature skin is differenta decrease in the content of "molecules of youth" and a slowdown in recovery processes. Everyday stress becomes more traumatic and destructive for the skin. Signs of skin aging begin to appear externally in the form of wrinkles, crow's feet around the eyes, sagging skin in the cheekbones and chin. Here anti-age cosmetics should provide not only protection, but also support for their own processes (protective and maintenance cosmetics). The use of substances to maintain cellular life (protection of cell membranes, DNA and mitochondria), enhance the synthesis of collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid is topical. It is required to strengthen and maintain a high intensity of intercellular communication with the help of regulatory peptides and growth factors.
In old age, it is formedmassive lack of recovery mechanisms. The rate of skin cell renewal after 55 years is greatly reduced and is already 3-4 months (28 days before the age of 25). This occurs against an unfavorable background of already accumulated "untreated" injuries. The signs of skin aging become more pronounced - the number and depth of wrinkles increase, the skin becomes drier and dull. Anti-age cosmetics of this age are protection, support and replacement of the lost. Active substances of both previous age groups and their own can be used - bioflavonoids with phytoestrogenic activity (to replace the level of their own estrogens), cholesterol in a special ratio with ceramides and fatty acids to replenish the lipid barrier, intradermal moisturizers, anti-inflammatory and vascular stabilizing components.
Each of us is different. However, the processes taking place in our skin are laid down by nature in the same way for everyone. Including the aging process of the skin. At each age, the degree of manifestation of certain changes is different. Take a closer look at yourself. Perhaps you will notice some changes today. So, it's time to act! It is important to select beauty care products according to the age and needs of the skin at every stage of life.
Skin care products and specialist treatments will help you slow down the aging process of your skin and keep your skin looking youthful for years to come. In the abundance of assortment of cosmetics and procedures today, women of any age category can choose the right anti-aging products for themselves.