Slowing down the aging process of the skin is the fundamental problem of cosmetology. Until recently, it was believed that the skin begins to age from the age of 40, when the first pronounced wrinkles appear. And cosmetic products mainly fought against wrinkles. It is now quite clear that the process of skin aging begins long before the appearance of visible signs and begins at the cellular level for about thirty years. Currently, researchers have a vast amount of biomedical scientific knowledge about the structure and function of the skin, oxidative stress and its causes, mechanisms within cells of adaptation and repair, the quality and intensity of intercellular interactions.
It is accepted for today,that skin aging is not just about visible signs: wrinkles, uneven pigmentation, gravitational decline of the skin, dryness, etc. First of all, these are cellular and tissue signs of skin aging, changes in delicate processes occurring in the epidermis and dermis.
Aging mechanisms affect the most important cellular organelles:
- DNA- the most important element of preservation and implementation of inherited information;
- mitochondria- a unique organelle to provide the cell with energy and to ensure its survival in difficult conditions;
- cell membrane- regulator of external signal transmission and selective permeability of substances.
With any external impact on the skin, complex processes begin in the skin cells - they exchange information and coordinate a common response to external challenges. These processes are very active in young people. But with age, they fade, 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 at a young age, mature and old.
All theories describing the mechanisms of skin aging, and there are more than 300 of them, can be divided into two major groups - aging based on internal (endogenous) and external (exogenous) factors. Endogenous aging is caused by information encoded in our DNA and there is still no way to influence this aspect. Exogenous aging is the total result of the accumulating effect of aggressive environmental factors, including ultraviolet and infrared radiation, urban smog ozone, cigarette smoke, etc. A marked change in the study of aging processes by external factors occurred in 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 on the skin offacial). Ultraviolet is known to be the most dangerous.
Signs of skin aging in number
Age-related changes usually appear from the outside 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 the number of many aging processes.
- The collagen content in the dermis, which is necessary to ensure the strength of the skin, drops by 1% each year after the age of 30 years.
- After 40 years, the skin becomes thinner by 1% per year.
- A skin cell restores 10-100 thousand mutations in DNA within a day, and 2 hours of sun exposure provides up to 1 million mutations.
- 15 minutes of sun exposure depletes the skin's own reserves of antioxidants (mainly vitamins C and E) by 70-90%, which requires at least 2 hours to recover.
- Of all the protein synthesized in the cell, 40% is erroneously produced - a continuous functioning of cellular mechanisms is required for its use and processing.
- In total, the body contains about 15 g of hyaluronic acid, and of which 10 g fall into the skin. A complete rejuvenation 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.
- The elasticity of the stratum corneum and epidermis is reduced. 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 corneal layer. With age, the amount of water on the skin varies: 75-70% by age 25 to 63-65% in older people. The skin becomes drier, 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 sebaceous glands decreases. As a result, the skin becomes drier and more vulnerable to free radicals.
The main reason for skin aging is to reduce the rate of repair
All skin functions and regenerative processes are preserved in people even in the extreme age of 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 side effects in 12 hours, then older skin already needs 30 hours. Thus, it is clear that in an elderly person, the recovery processes are extremely slow. That is, the intact skin of a young person and an elderly person is just as effective as a barrier and protection. The differences become apparent when the skin is damaged and the need to restore destroyed structures and mechanisms. Given that our skin is in a state of constant aggression of external factors, then the older the age, the more intensively grows the snowball of destruction and damage of "untreated". That is, mature skin does not have time to cope with the damage, and they accumulate and appear as external signs of aging. That is, all signs of aging are "untreated" skin lesions.
Stages of age-related changes in the skin and features of care
New skin is differenthigh content of self-contained "youth molecules", high intensity of recovery processes. New skin is much denser than mature skin, it is more elastic, 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 years. Therefore, the main focus in cosmetics of this age group is protection and prevention. It includes protection from ultraviolet radiation, support of water and lipid balance in the skin, mandatory use of various antioxidants.
Mature skin is differenta decrease in the content of "youth molecules" and a slowdown in recovery processes. Daily stress becomes more traumatic and destructive to the skin. Signs of skin aging begin to appear from the outside in the form of wrinkles, crow's feet around the eyes, sagging skin on the cheeks and chin. Here anti-aging cosmetics should provide not only protection but also support for their processes (protective and maintenance cosmetics). The use of substances to preserve cell life (protection of cell membranes, DNA and mitochondria), improving the synthesis of collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid is current. It is required to strengthen and maintain a high intensity of intercellular communication with the help of regulatory peptides and growth factors.
In old agemassive deficit of recovery mechanisms. The rate of skin cell renewal after 55 years has greatly decreased and is already 3-4 months (28 days before the age of 25). This occurs against an unfavorable background of already "untreated" accumulated injuries. Signs of aging skin become more pronounced - the number and depth of wrinkles increases, the skin becomes drier and duller. Cosmetics against the age of this age are the protection, support and replacement of the lost. Active substances can be used both from previous age groups and from them - bioflavonoids with phytoestrogenic activity (to replace their estrogen levels), cholesterol in a special ratio with ceramides and fatty acids to replenish the lipid barrier, moisturizing creamsintradermal, anti-inflammatory and vascular stabilizing ingredients.
Each of us is different. However, the processes that take place in our skin are determined by nature in the same way for everyone. Involving the skin aging process. At each age, the rate of onset of certain changes is different. Look closely at yourself. You will probably notice some changes today. So, it's time to act! It is important to choose beauty care products according to age and skin needs at every stage of life.
Skin care products and specialized 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 variety of cosmetics and procedures today, women of any age group can choose the right anti-aging products for themselves.