Anti-Aging Skincare for Older, Mature Skin's Wrinkles and Age Spots

Anti-Aging Skincare

We often take our skin for granted, but as we age, we need to realize that like everything else we need to take better care of it. Your skin changes as you age. For example, you sweat less and produce less oil, and that leads to increased dryness. As your skin matures, it becomes thinner and loses fat, so it looks less plump and smooth. Underlying structures - veins and bones in particular - become more prominent with older skin. Mature skin can take longer to heal when injured and can be more sensitive.

We also face the ravages of time. Our skin develops things like liver spots, wrinkles, crow's feet around our eyes, moles and even skin cancer. Depending on how we care for our skin, while we are younger, these problems can be delayed or some of them even avoided.

Sun damage is a major cause of the skin changes we think of as aging - changes such as wrinkles, dryness and age spots. The damage occurs over time. How much damage depends on a number of things, such as how dark our skin is, to how often we got sun, and how much sun we got. The more sun exposure, the more damage that is done and the less likely it is that the skin can repair itself. People who have gotten a lot of sun exposure when they are young may look prematurely aged. That's why sun protection is so important to maintaining younger looking skin.

There are a number of highly visible changes in aging skin/mature skin. These changes aren't just visible on your face. They also show up on the skin of your neck, hands - pretty much any part of your body, but especially those that have had the most sun exposure over the years. According to National Institute on Aging (NIA) and the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), some of the signs of aging skin include:

• Pigment changes - There can be mottled hyperpigmentation or uneven discoloration. Melasma or chloasma, in which the skin takes on a darker appearance compared to the surrounding skin, can also develop. The skin may also take on a sallow or yellow appearance.
• Less collagen / less elastin - Collagen and elastin are proteins in the skin. Both help to give the skin structure. As we get older, aging and environmental factors reduce the body's ability to form collagen and elastin. This results in wrinkles.

Other signs include:

• Surface roughness
• Dry itchy skin
• Sagging skin
• Thinner skin
• Wrinkles - Wrinkles can be fine (they disappear when stretched) or coarse (they don't disappear when stretched)
• Laxity or looseness of the skin
• Benign skin growths - A number of noncancerous skin growths are more common as we age. These include:
  • actinic lentigines - flat growths, commonly called liver or age spots
  • seborrheic keratoses - raised growths, commonly called barnacles
  • dermatofibromas - round, often red bumps under the skin
• Telangiectasia - These dilated blood vessels are often called spider veins.
• Skin cancer - Our risk of developing skin cancer increases as we age, especially if we've had too much sun exposure.

Many of these changes can't be avoided. But, proper skin care can make it easier to cope with the changes, and make a difference not only in how we look, but in how we feel.

Anti aging skin care products

There are many products for aging skin. When people talk about anti aging skin creams, they refer to topical products - in other words, products that you apply to the skin. Topicals can be over-the-counter (OTC) or prescription. OTC products that can help with fine lines and wrinkles include:

• moisturizing creams - moisturizers work to help the skin retain its water. They can also plump up wrinkles, so that the lines appear less noticeable. Sometimes, moisturizers can contain other ingredients that are designed to exfoliate skin or fill in fine lines.
• alpha hydroxy acids (AHA) - AHAs must be less than 10 percent concentration to be sold OTC. A higher concentration requires a prescription.
• anti-oxidants - these are often vitamin based, such as vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin E
• retinols (vitamin A derivatives) - You've probably heard of retin A which is used for acne. There is a prescription topical treatment called tretinoin, which is also derived from vitamin A. It is used for sun damaged skin, fine wrinkles and rough and splotchy skin.

Treatments for aging skin/mature skin

In addition to topical products, there are other treatments available for aging skin/mature skin. Chemical peels, dermabrasion and microdermabrasion do just as they say - peel away or abrade the top surface of the skin. It's like a more intense kind of exfoliation. Peels use chemicals that are applied to the skin. Dermabrasion does the same thing, only it uses a rapidly rotating brush to sand the skin down. Lasers can also be used to help the appearance of aging skin and to improve the appearance of wrinkles and lines.

Augmentation can be another option for aging skin. With augmentation, either fat from your body or collagen is injected under the skin to plump it up. This can help to smooth out the wrinkles and fine lines, as well as other skin flaws.

Botox is another option. When it is used for cosmetic purposes, Botox works by paralyzing the muscles it is injected into. This can make it effective for treatment of frown lines, crow's feet and facial wrinkles.

Many people also take advantage of plastic or cosmetic surgical options to help with their apperance as they get older. Those options can include many treatments, including procedures such as a face lift, liposuction and body sculpting.

Other aging skin problems

There are also other things to consider with aging skin:

Makeup for aging skin/mature skin - Be careful when choosing a foundation. A foundation that is too heavy can seep into the lines and make them more noticeable. Avoid too much powder, too, as this can lead to a heavy caked-on appearance. Generally, the lighter you apply the make-up, the better. Using a light moisturizer under the foundation can help. It's a good idea to use a product with sunscreen too, as sun exposure is the last thing you want when you're trying to keep skin from aging.

Aging lips - One of the biggest problems with agin skin is the lip area. Fine lines around the lips can cause lipstick to bleed into those lines. Special creams are available that cam plump up the lips before you apply lipstick. Avoid using a lip liner in a dark shade, as this will make the lines more noticeable.

Aging skin and acne - This one can be a true paradox - you're skin is getting both wrinkles as well as acne. Information about acne will still apply to older skin, but it's important to avoid treatments that are overly harsh, since these can cause even more irritation in older skin. If acne persists, it's probably a good idea to see a dermatologist.

Oily aging skin - Not everyone with aging skin has problems with dryness. Sometimes, skin continues to produce too much oil, even as it ages. Information about oily skin care will still apply to older skin, but it's important to avoid treatments that are overly harsh, since these can cause even more irritation in older skin. If oily skin is a serious problem, it's probably a good idea to see a dermatologist.

Sensitive aging skin - With age, can come greater sensitivity. It's important to look for products that won't cause redness or irritation. Look for products that are hypo allergenic, or specially designed for sensitive skin.

Age spots - Whether you call them age spots, liver spots, or their official name solar lentigines, age spots are basically the same thing - flat, gray, brown or black spots. They can vary in size. They are most common on the face, hands, shoulders and arms - in other words the parts of your body that got the most sun. To avoid getting more, use a good sunscreen, or sun protective clothing. Age spots can be lightened with skin bleaching products or they can be removed by a dermatologist.

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Updated May 2008

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