Billions of dollars are spent on anti-aging products every year. Certain risk factors are associated with premature aging, and if you address the risk factors and make lifestyle changes, you may be able to help slow the clock until your body is ready to age naturally.
Sun
Exposure to the sun's harmful UV rays is a major contributor to premature aging of the skin, according to a report from the American Academy of Dermatology. UV radiation from the sun, sun lamps or tanning beds lead to early wrinkles and a leathery appearance of the skin. The AAD also reports that sun damage accumulates over time, so even a little exposure every day adds up over the course of a few years.
Smoking
Tobacco smoke is another primary factor that contributes to skin aging. According to a report in the December 2007 issue of the Journal of Dermatological Science, written by A. Morita from the Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences in Japan, tobacco smoke destroys protein fibers that build up the skin and inhibits the production of collagen, the protein in skin that keeps it healthy and tight. The breakdown of connective tissues leads to wrinkling and sagging of the skin.
Obesity
Obesity is a factor in the development of several conditions, including diabetes and heart disease. The June 22, 2010 issue of the International Journal of Obesity reports that these diseases that are associated with obesity promote premature aging. One way this occurs is explained by H. Lang and fellow researchers at Louisiana State University in a report published in the Oct. 29, 2009 issue of "Blood." With natural aging, the thymus--an organ under the breastbone that helps fight infection and disease by producing immune system cells called T-cells--begins to shrink. Obesity accelerates the aging process and shrinking of the thymus gland, and inhibits the production of new T-cells while encouraging the death of existing T-cells. This results in making the body vulnerable to infections and age-related diseases that you would not normally have to deal with until you had aged chronologically.
Medical Conditions
Progeria is a condition that begins in childhood, and the body appears to go through the aging process very quickly. Death usually occurs during the teen years as a result of heart attack or stroke, according to the Merck Manuals Online Medical Library. The MMO also reports other conditions that can cause premature aging, such as Werner's syndrome and Down syndrome. Werner's syndrome typically begins in adolescence and is characterized by wrinkles, baldness, cataracts, diabetes, osteoporosis, muscle wasting and cancer--all age-related diseases. Down syndrome can also lead to signs of aging, such as brain degeneration, bone disease, hair loss, cancer, circulatory disorders, Alzheimer's and even premature death.
References
- American Academy of Dermatology: The Darker Side of Tanning
- PubMed.gov: Journal of Dermatological Science: Tobacco Smoke Causes Premature Skin Aging
- PubMed.gov: International Journal of Obesity: The Chronobiology, Etiology and Pathophysiology of Obesity
- PubMed.gov: Blood: Obesity Accelerates Thymic Aging
- Merck Manuals Online Medical Library: Disorders of Accelerated Aging
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