The Unique Challenges of Aging Skin and How to Fight Them

Posted July 1, 2016

When we age, we’re left to deal with more than just fine lines and wrinkles — the entire structure of our skin changes. As we get older, our skin loses moisture, our natural collagen and elastin production decreases, and our fat stores become depleted, changing the appearance of our skin dramatically. According to Scientific American, every year past the age of 20, we’re working with approximately 1 percent less collagen. This dramatic change means our skin is less resistant to damage, has less natural elasticity, and begins to appear less full and youthful over time.

While age comes for everyone, even those who try to fend it off with plastic surgery, the effects of another birthday passing can become more pronounced among those of us with certain lifestyle factors. If you’re a sun-worshipper, you’re far more likely to look your age (or even older). Sun damage causes two of the most obvious signs of aging: wrinkling and dark spots. Every time we spend time in the sun, we’re bombarded with UVA and UVB rays, which permeate our skin’s surface and can damage our natural reserves of collagen and elastin. When we’re not getting an even production of these compounds, our skin begins to wrinkle, thin, and sag. Even more noticeable than the wrinkles that develop over time are the dark spots many of us get from repeated sun exposure. A smattering of freckles today may be an indicator that dark spots, and even certain types of skin cancer, could be on the horizon. The best way to keep your skin protected is to use daily SPF, wear light-colored clothing in the summer, and make sure you stay out of the sun during its peak daytime hours.

Environmental pollution can also be a catalyst for major changes in our ski, spurring early aging. In heavily populated cities like New York, it may be impossible to avoid environmental pollution completely, and those pollutants could be causing free radical damage. That damage makes our skin work harder to repair itself, often becoming damaged, sallow, or saggy in the process. While we can’t flip a switch and make our air healthier, we can treat some of the damage caused by the pollution we encounter on a daily basis. Treatments like the Oxygen Facial available at Flawless Skin Solutions in Manhattan provide your skin the healing antioxidants it needs while bathing it in pure hyperbaric oxygen, which clears pores, moisturizes skin, and provides an environment that can promote the production of healthy skin cells.

There’s no way to turn back the hands of time, but that doesn’t mean looking old is inevitable. Limiting your time in the sun and treating the damage caused by environmental pollution will keep you healthy and looking years younger than your chronological age.

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