How skin ages.

Right from the time we are born, our body is programmed to age and there is nothing that we can do to prevent this no matter what anybody tells you. This is the simple law of nature. The only thing that we can do is to slow down the rate at which we age for as long as possible.

Types of ageing:

There are two main types of ageing, intrinsic and extrinsic ageing

Intrinsic ageing – what is it:

This is otherwise know as the chronological aging. This simply means that when we are born, our body, due to our genetic make-up already knows when it is time for it to wind down and die! This is a bit like putting petrol in your care. Your can only do a certain number of miles with full fuel capacity. When the fuel finishes, the car stops. Another person with a car that has a bigger capacity will obviously go for more miles, but the fuel will finish in the end and the car will stop. Our body is exactly like that. This means that if there were no exactly factor affecting our bodies, then we will live to our pre-destined lifespan, but we will dies in the end. Intrinsic ageing is a biological process over which we have no control. Genetics play an important role on how we will age. If your mother/father looked good well into their sixties, chances are that you will look good provided you look after yourself.

Extrinsic ageing- what is it:

Now this type of ageing is caused by external factors such as UV rays, sun exposure, pollution, acceleration of production of free radicals in our skin, poor diet, poor skin care regime etc. Free radicals are those rogue molecules that cause us so much grief! They attack the collagen and elastin fibres as well as new skin cells as they form. Although this happens in dermis, the effect is visible on the surface of the skin and appears as dry and weakened skin structure, texture, pigmentation, broken veins, this also increases the susceptibility to other external damage.