With a surface area of about 16 to 22 square feet, our skin is far more than merely a protective barrier. Your skin is an organ, and it serves to regulate excretion of metabolic waste products, regulates temperature, and includes receptors for pain, tactile sensation, and pressure. Accordingly, the health and appearance of your skin, like the health of your other organs, correlates with the lifestyle and dietary habits that you choose, as well as with critical age-related factors such as hormonal imbalance.
Skin Anatomy and Function
In its entirety, the skin is comprised of three distinctive layers, the epidermis, the dermis and hypodermis. Each layer exhibits unique cellular makeup and physiological function.
The epidermis (outer-most layer) is comprised of keratin, which strengthens the skin, and melanin, responsible for depth of skin color. The epidermis provides protection against the environment
The dermis contains nerves, blood vessels and fibroblasts that provide sensory receptors, deliver nutrients, and maintain the structural foundation of the skin. The most abundant connective material within the dermis is collagen, a fibrous protein whose primary function is to maintain skin firmness. Elastin protein fibers combine with collagen to give the skin elasticity. It is within the dermis that new cells are produced and eventually migrate toward the outer layers (the epidermis).
The bottom layer of the skin is the hypodermis. It contains adipocytes (fat cells) that insulate the body and help to preserve heat, as well as other connective tissues.
Contributing Factors to Skin Aging - Environmental
Premature Skin Aging is most commonly associated with the following extrinsic (environmental) factors:
intense physical and psychological stress,
excess alcohol intake,
poor nutrition,
tobacco abuse,
environmental pollution and toxins, and
Excessive UV radiation.
Additionally, few people realize that as their body weight increases and their blood sugar levels rise, biochemical reactions disrupt the very structural framework of their skin. Combined, these factors lead to cumulative deterioration in skin appearance and function.
Contributing Factors to Skin Aging - Intrinsic
Intrinsic skin aging is determined primarily by
genetic factors,
hormonal status and
metabolic reactions, such as oxidative stress and glycation.
Skin is at risk for similar degenerative effects seen in other organs, yet due to its visibility, the skin outwardly discloses many aspects of our inner health.
Genetic Damage
Cellular aging is the process by which a cell becomes old and can no longer replicate. Known as €replicative senescence€, this phenomenon can be the result of DNA damage induced by factors such as UV radiation, toxins, or age-related deterioration.
Skin cells are some of the most rapidly dividing cells in the body. However, as DNA damage accumulates with age, replication of these skin cells declines.
Hormone Health
With aging, there is a decline in the level of sex hormones and Growth Hormone. These particular hormones have great influence on the skin. Balance is critical in the realm of hormones, and while escalating sex hormones during puberty increase the incidence of skin acne, <b declining hormonal levels with aging accelerate skin deterioration.
Let's look at the primary hormones affecting skin health:
Testosterone -too much leads to acne; too little causes skin to become loose/lax and thin
Thyroid - imbalances can cause dry skin, brittle nails and hair
Cortisol - elevated cortisol levels from stress and anxiety lead to premature aging
For women, the change in hormone levels, estrogen in particular, during menopause is accompanied by significant changes within the skin.
Benefits of Estrogen
influences skin thickness, wrinkling, and moisture
stimulates skin cell renewal and prevents thinning of the epidermal and dermal layers.
helps to maintain capillary blood circulation and the ability for the skin to maintain hydration, strength and elasticity
Oxidative Stress - The skin is €rusting'
Imagine an iron pipe lying on the ground. As it weathers years of rain, environmental exposure, sun, and other factors, it begins to rust.
The rust is caused by oxidation. Free oxygen radicals are created during the metabolism of normal oxygen in cells, or oxidation. These free radicals are missing a simple electron and are in search of another molecule that they can combine with to become €whole.€ In their quest, they damage other cells and structures around them. This, in turn, causes the rust.
In effect, your body is €rusting€ as it goes through its lifetime, the free oxygen radicals wildly running through your system, searching for a mate. As you can see, the more free radicals your body contains, the more damage that's likely to be done. Compare the skin of a five year-old to that of a nursing home resident, and notice the breakdown, wrinkles, and color as compared to the smooth, supple skin of a child.
Chronic free radical assault leads to the appearance of uneven, blotchy pigmentation, and subverts the structural framework of the skin, giving rise to wrinkles and sagging skin.
Oxidative stress plays a central role in initiating and driving events that cause skin aging at the cellular level. Oxidative stress causes the following:
breaks down protein (collagen),
alters cellular renewal cycles,
damages DNA, and
promotes the release of pro-inflammatory mediators (cytokines), which trigger the generation of inflammatory skin diseases
contribute to allergic reactions in the skin
Obviously, even back in the early days of man, free radicals existed and caused oxidative stress. However, when you look at the most common culprits of Oxidative Stress you will quickly understand why we are experiencing an increased amount of Free Radical Damage:
Environmental and Air Pollution
Cigarette Smoking
Excess Stress
Prescription and Over-the-Counter Medications
Radiation
Excessive Exercise
Excessive Sun Exposure
Glycation - How sugar ages the skin
Glycation is a second insult to skin proteins, and it is caused by the linking of sugars with dermal proteins. Here we are talking about glucose-driven aging.
Glucose is a vital cellular fuel. However, based on the accelerated rate of aging seen in diabetics, chronic glucose exposure has long been known to affect how the body ages by a process called glycation.
The linking of sugars to proteins is a common reaction, resulting in the brown color of toasted bread, the dark grill marks on meat and the simulated tanning of the skin from dihydroxyacetone-containing self-tanning creams. Once sugars enter the circulation, they attach themselves to the amino groups of tissue proteins such as collagen to slowly rearrange their youthful structure into the main culprits of damage, called advanced glycation end products (AGEs). AGE molecules are particularly destructive since they can undergo extensive cross-linking with other proteins to form strong chemical bridges. As a result, once healthy collagen fibers lose their elasticity, becoming rigid, more brittle, and prone to breakage.
Protein glycation and AGE formation are accompanied by increased free radical activity in skin collagen, which accelerates skin aging. All of these changes create an environment within the skin that favors degradation of collagen over its synthesis.
High carbohydrate intake and the associated elevated blood sugar contribute to the rapid aging of tissues. Not surprisingly, collagen abnormalities with aging and in diabetes share similar roots and have widespre
Skin Anatomy and Function
In its entirety, the skin is comprised of three distinctive layers, the epidermis, the dermis and hypodermis. Each layer exhibits unique cellular makeup and physiological function.
The epidermis (outer-most layer) is comprised of keratin, which strengthens the skin, and melanin, responsible for depth of skin color. The epidermis provides protection against the environment
The dermis contains nerves, blood vessels and fibroblasts that provide sensory receptors, deliver nutrients, and maintain the structural foundation of the skin. The most abundant connective material within the dermis is collagen, a fibrous protein whose primary function is to maintain skin firmness. Elastin protein fibers combine with collagen to give the skin elasticity. It is within the dermis that new cells are produced and eventually migrate toward the outer layers (the epidermis).
The bottom layer of the skin is the hypodermis. It contains adipocytes (fat cells) that insulate the body and help to preserve heat, as well as other connective tissues.
Contributing Factors to Skin Aging - Environmental
Premature Skin Aging is most commonly associated with the following extrinsic (environmental) factors:
intense physical and psychological stress,
excess alcohol intake,
poor nutrition,
tobacco abuse,
environmental pollution and toxins, and
Excessive UV radiation.
Additionally, few people realize that as their body weight increases and their blood sugar levels rise, biochemical reactions disrupt the very structural framework of their skin. Combined, these factors lead to cumulative deterioration in skin appearance and function.
Contributing Factors to Skin Aging - Intrinsic
Intrinsic skin aging is determined primarily by
genetic factors,
hormonal status and
metabolic reactions, such as oxidative stress and glycation.
Skin is at risk for similar degenerative effects seen in other organs, yet due to its visibility, the skin outwardly discloses many aspects of our inner health.
Genetic Damage
Cellular aging is the process by which a cell becomes old and can no longer replicate. Known as €replicative senescence€, this phenomenon can be the result of DNA damage induced by factors such as UV radiation, toxins, or age-related deterioration.
Skin cells are some of the most rapidly dividing cells in the body. However, as DNA damage accumulates with age, replication of these skin cells declines.
Hormone Health
With aging, there is a decline in the level of sex hormones and Growth Hormone. These particular hormones have great influence on the skin. Balance is critical in the realm of hormones, and while escalating sex hormones during puberty increase the incidence of skin acne, <b declining hormonal levels with aging accelerate skin deterioration.
Let's look at the primary hormones affecting skin health:
Testosterone -too much leads to acne; too little causes skin to become loose/lax and thin
Thyroid - imbalances can cause dry skin, brittle nails and hair
Cortisol - elevated cortisol levels from stress and anxiety lead to premature aging
For women, the change in hormone levels, estrogen in particular, during menopause is accompanied by significant changes within the skin.
Benefits of Estrogen
influences skin thickness, wrinkling, and moisture
stimulates skin cell renewal and prevents thinning of the epidermal and dermal layers.
helps to maintain capillary blood circulation and the ability for the skin to maintain hydration, strength and elasticity
Oxidative Stress - The skin is €rusting'
Imagine an iron pipe lying on the ground. As it weathers years of rain, environmental exposure, sun, and other factors, it begins to rust.
The rust is caused by oxidation. Free oxygen radicals are created during the metabolism of normal oxygen in cells, or oxidation. These free radicals are missing a simple electron and are in search of another molecule that they can combine with to become €whole.€ In their quest, they damage other cells and structures around them. This, in turn, causes the rust.
In effect, your body is €rusting€ as it goes through its lifetime, the free oxygen radicals wildly running through your system, searching for a mate. As you can see, the more free radicals your body contains, the more damage that's likely to be done. Compare the skin of a five year-old to that of a nursing home resident, and notice the breakdown, wrinkles, and color as compared to the smooth, supple skin of a child.
Chronic free radical assault leads to the appearance of uneven, blotchy pigmentation, and subverts the structural framework of the skin, giving rise to wrinkles and sagging skin.
Oxidative stress plays a central role in initiating and driving events that cause skin aging at the cellular level. Oxidative stress causes the following:
breaks down protein (collagen),
alters cellular renewal cycles,
damages DNA, and
promotes the release of pro-inflammatory mediators (cytokines), which trigger the generation of inflammatory skin diseases
contribute to allergic reactions in the skin
Obviously, even back in the early days of man, free radicals existed and caused oxidative stress. However, when you look at the most common culprits of Oxidative Stress you will quickly understand why we are experiencing an increased amount of Free Radical Damage:
Environmental and Air Pollution
Cigarette Smoking
Excess Stress
Prescription and Over-the-Counter Medications
Radiation
Excessive Exercise
Excessive Sun Exposure
Glycation - How sugar ages the skin
Glycation is a second insult to skin proteins, and it is caused by the linking of sugars with dermal proteins. Here we are talking about glucose-driven aging.
Glucose is a vital cellular fuel. However, based on the accelerated rate of aging seen in diabetics, chronic glucose exposure has long been known to affect how the body ages by a process called glycation.
The linking of sugars to proteins is a common reaction, resulting in the brown color of toasted bread, the dark grill marks on meat and the simulated tanning of the skin from dihydroxyacetone-containing self-tanning creams. Once sugars enter the circulation, they attach themselves to the amino groups of tissue proteins such as collagen to slowly rearrange their youthful structure into the main culprits of damage, called advanced glycation end products (AGEs). AGE molecules are particularly destructive since they can undergo extensive cross-linking with other proteins to form strong chemical bridges. As a result, once healthy collagen fibers lose their elasticity, becoming rigid, more brittle, and prone to breakage.
Protein glycation and AGE formation are accompanied by increased free radical activity in skin collagen, which accelerates skin aging. All of these changes create an environment within the skin that favors degradation of collagen over its synthesis.
High carbohydrate intake and the associated elevated blood sugar contribute to the rapid aging of tissues. Not surprisingly, collagen abnormalities with aging and in diabetes share similar roots and have widespre
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