Prevent Aging – Facts You Must Know

Some Facts You Must Know To Prevent Aging

Aging is a natural process that no one can avoid it. It is our genes determine how one goes through that process. For some, aging can set on earlier if compared to others. On average, signs of skin aging begin to appear in the mid-20s. Beside genes, there are two main factors that directly influent the process of our skin aging.

One of the said factors is called Intrinsic Aging, or also known as internal aging. As one grows older, the skin’s ability to snap back to shape (elasticity) starts to decrease. That is because skin cells do not regenerate as fast as they used to – resulting to tougher, older skin. Although internal aging begins in one’s 20s, the typical signs of wrinkles and sagging skin do not appear for until about a couple of decades more.

Other common signs that indicate skin aging are thinning, loss of firmness, dryness, and reduction of sweat production that prevents proper cooling of the body.

Another factor that determines our skin aging is external aging, which called as Extrinsic Aging. Factors outside one’s own genes accelerate skin aging. Lifestyles and habits carry more impact of why aging skin occurs more prematurely in one’s lifetime.

With the present condition our atmosphere is in, harmful rays from the sun pass through in ever increasing amounts causing damage to the skin and hampering its ability to repair itself. Over a period of time, a few minutes a day of exposure to ultraviolet rays results in changes to the skin such as freckles, age spots and rough skin. An even graver symptom would be the onset of skin cancer.

Dermatologists call this effect as photo aging, in reference to the sun’s rays that reduce the production of collagen which play the most important role for maintaining the skin’s elasticity. One’s susceptibility to photo aging is determined by the amount of pigment in the skin as well as the frequency and duration he spends under the sun’s rays. Given these factors, fair-skinned individuals and those who spend long periods under the sun stand to have more pronounced effects of photo aging compared to those who are darker-skinned and spend more time in the shade.

Cigarette smoking does not only cause harm to the body internally but externally as well. This is most pronounced with the condition of the skin. Nicotine intake causes changes in the body that speeds up the breakdown of skin cells, among other harmful effects.

It is a common finding that individuals who’ve been smokers for at least a decade look comparably older than those who do not smoke. In addition to wrinkles, yellowish discoloration of the skin has been observed in smokers. However, the good news is that those who have given up smoking show improvements in their skin condition shortly after quitting. The signs of skin aging will inevitably show up on everyone at one point or the other. All sorts of products and treatments can be availed of but it is only meant to delay the outward symptoms.

To prevent or slow down the aging process, perhaps the best solution is to understand the causes and avoid unhealthy habits. You should not take aging process as a disease, but rather see it as another stage of development the body undergoes. Remember, let yourself being stress up can speed up the aging process too!