How does our skin age?

Chronic skin ageing is a natural process leading to a loss of firmness and elasticity, intensified by various endo- and exogenous factors such as weight loss, sun damage, environmental stress, body condition and lifestyle. With the passage of time, the production of collagen and elastin as well as hyaluronic acid in the skin cells becomes slower and slower and, as a result, the skin loses its youthful appearance.

Fat tissue and its impact on ageing

As we age, the amount of subcutaneous facial fat tissue, or adipocyte fat cells, also decreases. This process deepens wrinkles, furrows and deforms the facial oval. The oval of the face changes from a V-shape. The tissue ‘moves’ downwards yielding to the force of gravity, causing the skin to sag and the facial features to sharpen. The proportions change, the volume decreases and the oval of the face widens downwards. As a consequence, the adverse effect is a deterioration of the skin’s biomechanical properties: loss of firmness, distorted facial oval, particularly visible in the jaw line of the face, deepening of wrinkles, lack of skin firmness. A decrease in collagen and elastin production simultaneously leads to atrophy, i.e. tissue atrophy. Atrophic skin is characterised by a loss of volume and elasticity, while wrinkles and furrows are much more visible on it. It also becomes more susceptible to mechanical damage and UV radiation.

Changes in the skin that progress with ageing

Cause	Effects
NASK
decrease in total epidermal thickness by 10-50%	increased “skin sensitivity” and susceptibility to damage
slower lipid renewal processes	deterioration of barrier function, dryness
extension of the cell cycle duration of keratinocytes	reduced exfoliation slower wound healing
reduced number of Langerhans cells	decreased skin resistance
INSIDE LEATHER
decrease in the thickness of the dermis decrease in the number of fibroblasts decrease in the intercellular matrix	decreased skin strength, firmness, elasticity
weakening of collagen and elastin fibres	activation of deformation processes wrinkle formation
decrease in the number and size of blood vessels	protective trophic disorder on the background of vascular disorders susceptibility to oedema and inflammation
reduction in the size of skin appendages	reduced sebum and sweat production dry skin impaired injury regeneration
hydration of the skin	diminished turgor disruption of the skin’s water balance
SUBCELLULAR TISSUE
reduction of body fat gravitational displacement of subcutaneous fat	loss of facial volume gravitational collapse of soft tissues
muscle tissue
changes in facial muscle tone are not the same: some muscles are in a hypertonic state (upper and lower one-third of the face), while others are in an atonic state (middle one-third of the face)	wrinkle formation
CASE
bone resorption – involving the very slow absorption of minerals found in bones, leading to bone cell replacement or atrophy	gravitational displacement of skin and subcutaneous tissue