What causes skin aging?

When we say aging is a normal part of life, we mean that the factors that drive aging naturally happen with time  It’s important to know that up to 80% of all types of aging are accelerated by sun exposure and related free radical damage. The main causes of skin aging are:

- Photo-aging (sun exposure)

- Related DNA damage

- Dormant (stagnant) skin cells

- Chronic inflammation

- Overproduction of enzymes that damage collagen, elastin, and hyaluronic acid

What happens in aging skin

 Poor texture, fine lines, and wrinkles. Not to mention sagging skin and a thick and uneven complexion. We all know the signs of skin aging. And, in a nutshell, your cells simply slow down in performing the tasks they usually did when you were younger.

With photoaging specifically, the skin is changed or damaged by sunlight, rapidly breaking down dermal components, which causes wrinkles and/or discolouration. Sun exposure increases that rate of aging drastically.

Types of skin aging

There are two types of skin aging. Intrinsic aging is dependent on your genes. Extrinsic aging is caused by external factors, such as smoking, pollution, wind, heat and the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays. We always aim to treat both.

Intrinsic aging

- Inherited aging that is genetically regulated and passed down from parents.

- Results in changes in cell production, rate of turnover and cell activity in the skin.

- In addition, the levels of Growth Factors, which are naturally present in our skin, decline with age thus causing the repair process to slow down even more.

Extrinsic aging

- Photo-aging is the process by which skin is altered or damaged as a result of exposure to ultraviolet radiation and other sources.

- Collagen and elastin production are stunted and enzymes in the dermis are raised by sun exposure, causing the skin to lose its ability to repair itself effectively and the long-term effects of this process on the skin including fine lines and wrinkles, uneven colouring and textural changes as well as the skin becoming thinner and becoming less resistant to wrinkling.

- Healing in more mature skin, is further hampered by the effects of chronic inflammation, also called inflamm-aging, on the skin.

Professional treatments

The best way to get the most advanced aging skin treatments is to speak to your Lamelle-recognised skin therapist or doctor. She is trained to do a thorough skin assessment before advising you on the treatments that are best for your individual skin needs.

In the meantime, have a look at our advanced anti-aging treatments.

Anti-aging at home

Your therapist or doctor will also advise on the best anti-age creams, serums, and products to use for aging skin. Here is a few anti-age home treatments you might be interested in:

- Prevent skin aging with Lamelle Nourish

 - Treat aging with Lamelle Dermaheal

 - Get advanced UV protection with Lamelle Helase 50

 - Boost anti-age effects with suitable Lamelle Correctives[1]