Among the most noticeable signs of aging are the changes in your skin. Wrinkles, sagging, age spots, dryness, easy bruising and a greater incidence of skin growths are common signs of aging skin. Although such changes are inevitable, using products such as sunscreen and a good-quality moisturizing cream can help you maintain healthy-looking skin.
Dryness
Dryness becomes a common problem for older people; as we age, the sebaceous glands slow their production of oil to the skin, according to the Penn Medicine Health Encyclopedia website. While men may not notice an increase in dryness until old age, women often find dry skin problematic beginning in their 50s as they enter menopause. Such dryness causes flaking and itching and makes it difficult to keep the skin moist.
Bruises
The skin becomes more fragile with age. Older people have less subcutaneous fat to serve as protection, and the skin itself becomes thinner. A bruise, which is a flat collection of blood under the skin, or a hematoma, a raised collection of blood, can result from even minor injuries. Older skin also heals more slowly than younger skin.
Wrinkles and Sagging Skin
Wrinkles are inevitable as you age and are the result of several factors. Exposure to the environment, particularly to the sun's ultraviolet rays, cause a gradual loss of skin elasticity, leading to wrinkling. Gravity also affects people, so the longer you live, the more your skin will sag and wrinkle. Cigarette smoking increases and hastens the wrinkling process. Even habitual expressions like smiling, squinting and frowning eventually cause wrinkles.
Age Spots
Age spots, sometimes called liver spots, commonly appear on the skin of older people who have spent a lot of time outdoors. These flat, brownish patches appear on the face, shoulders, back, arms and hands -- places where the skin has been exposed to the sun.
Skin Growths
Skin tags are small, flesh-colored growths found most often on the eyelids, neck, armpits and groin, and are a frequent problem for older people -- particularly women -- according to the National Institute of Aging. Seborrheic keratoses -- brown or black raised spots -- and cherry angiomas -- small, red, raised bumps -- are common in the elderly. All of these skin conditions are considered harmless.
Cancer
Most kinds of skin cancer are the result of sun exposure, and become increasingly more likely as people age. The American Academy of Dermatology recommends you have any scaly patches or abnormal growths on your skin evaluated by a physician.
Member Comments