Your skin changes as you age. You might notice wrinkles, age spots and dryness. Your skin also becomes thinner and loses fat, making it less plump and smooth. It might take longer to heal, too.

Sunlight is a major cause of skin aging. You can protect yourself by staying out of the sun when it is strongest, using sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher, wearing protective clothing, and avoiding sunlamps and tanning beds. Cigarette smoking also contributes to wrinkles. The wrinkling increases with the amount of cigarettes and number of years a person has smoked.

Many products claim to revitalize aging skin or reduce wrinkles, but the Food and Drug Administration has approved only a few for sun-damaged or aging skin. Various treatments soothe dry skin and reduce the appearance of age spots.

NIH: National Institute on Aging

Symptoms of Skin Aging

The following features are indicative of Skin Aging:
  • wrinkles
  • sagging skin
  • pigmented spots

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Common Causes of Skin Aging

The following are the most common causes of Skin Aging:
  • environmental factors
  • genetic makeup
  • poor nutrition

Risk Factors for Skin Aging

The following factors may increase the likelihood of Skin Aging:
  • skin injury
  • prolonged exposure to sunlight

Prevention of Skin Aging

Yes, it may be possible to prevent Skin Aging. Prevention may be possible by doing the following:
  • preventing sunburn if at all possible
  • using a good quality sunscreen when outdoors
  • wearing protective clothing and a hat when needed

Occurrence of Skin Aging

Number of Cases

The following are the number of Skin Aging cases seen each year worldwide:
  • Common between 1 - 10 Million cases

Common Age Group

Skin Aging most commonly occurs in the following age group:
  • Aged > 50 years

Common Gender

Skin Aging can occur in any gender.

Lab Tests and Procedures for Diagnosis of Skin Aging

The following lab tests and procedures are used to detect Skin Aging:
  • Skin biopsy: To determine the exact type of psoriasis and to rule out other disorders
  • Physical exam: To examine skin, scalp and nails

Doctor for Diagnosis of Skin Aging

Patients should visit the following specialists if they have symptoms of Skin Aging:
  • Dermatologist

Complications of Skin Aging if untreated

Yes, Skin Aging causes complications if it is not treated. Below is the list of complications and problems that may arise if Skin Aging is left untreated:
  • psoriatic arthritis
  • conjunctivitis
  • blepharitis
  • uveitis
  • obesity
  • type 2 diabetes
  • hypertension
  • cardiovascular diseases
  • metabolic syndrome
  • celiac disease
  • sclerosis
  • Crohn's disease
  • parkinson's disease
  • kidney disease
  • emotional problems

Procedures for Treatment of Skin Aging

The following procedures are used to treat Skin Aging:
  • UVB phototherapy: To improve mild to moderate psoriasis symptoms
  • Narrow band UVB phototherapy: To improve mild to moderate psoriasis symptoms
  • Goeckerman therapy: To improve mild to moderate psoriasis symptoms
  • Psoralen plus ultraviolet A (PUVA) therapy: To treat more-severe cases of psoriasis
  • Excimer laser therapy: To improve mild to moderate psoriasis symptoms

Self-care for Skin Aging

The following self-care actions or lifestyle changes may help in the treatment or management of Skin Aging:
  • Take daily bath: Helps remove scales and calm inflamed skin
  • Use moisturizer: Helps preventing water from evaporating from skin
  • Expose skin to small amounts of sunlight: Helps improving psoriasis
  • Avoid drinking alcohol: Helps increasing the effectiveness of some psoriasis treatments

Alternative Medicine for Treatment of Skin Aging

The following alternate medicine and therapies are known to help in the treatment or management of Skin Aging:
  • Use aloe vera: Helps reducing redness, scaling, itching and inflammation
  • Intake fish oil supplements: Helps reducing inflammation associated with psoriasis
  • Use oregon grape: Helps reducing inflammation and ease psoriasis symptoms

Patient Support for Treatment of Skin Aging

The following actions may help Skin Aging patients:
  • Education: Helps recognizing, acknowledging and supporting efforts in dealing with the disease
  • Support groups: Provides sharing experience and struggles and meeting people who face similar challenges

Time for Treatment of Skin Aging

While time-period of treatment for each patient may vary, below is the typical time-period for Skin Aging to resolve if treated properly under an expert supervision:
  • Disease cannot be treated but only maintained or effects reduced

Related Topics

Last updated date

This page was last updated on 2/04/2019.
This page provides information for Skin Aging.

Related Topics

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Sun Exposure

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