Thin skin is mainly a symptom of aging. Gravity and sun exposure can cause a person to lose some of the collagen that supports the structure of the shin, causing it to atrophy and sag. According to the Mayo Clinic, a thinning of the skin can also be a side effect of medication, including steroidal drugs. Thin skin is not always a large medical concern, though the condition can cause health problems in some older adults. The disadvantages of thin skin range from a heightened risk for injury to cosmetic concerns.
Increased Risk for Injury
As skin becomes thinner, it is more prone to injuries such as scrapes and tears, according to the Mayo Clinic. The blood vessels underneath thin skin also become more fragile and susceptible to bruising. The University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) explains that the fat layer directly under the skin also thins, and can create the potential for older people to hurt themselves. Sensation, including feeling hot and cold, can be affected by thinning skin, and can make conditions such as burns and frostbite more likely. Once an injury has been sustained, the very fact that the skin has atrophied can lead to a slower-than-normal rate of wound healing.
Irregular Body Temperature
According to UMMC, a clear disadvantage of suffering from thin skin is that a person's body temperature does not regulate itself as well as when his skin was normal. The breakdown of collagen and the subcutaneous fat not only opens a person up to injury, but can also make him feel cold, due to the loss of natural padding. Thin skin affects the sweat glands as well, and can lead to the opposite of cold. Sweat output may decrease in a person who has thin skin, which makes the body unable to cool itself effectively. In warm weather, the decreased sweat production can put a person at risk for heat stroke.
Attractiveness Factor
Even if thin skin does not cause medical problems in any given person, the condition can be troubling from a cosmetic standpoint. The thinning of skin that stems from years of overexposure to the sun can also be more prone to areas of darkening called hyperpigmentation, more commonly known as age spots. The fragility of the blood vessels underneath the skin become more visible and may produce hemiangiomas on the skin, according to UMMC. Bruising and bleeding under the skin can also be cause for concern not only in the medical realm, but in terms of self-image.
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