Americans spend billions of dollars each year on anti-aging products including "wrinkle" creams and skin lotions to keep skin looking smooth, healthy and youthful. But the simplest and cheapest ways to keep your skin healthier and younger looking may just be: eating right, exercising regularly, getting plenty of sleep and following the basic rules of skin care; Cleansing, Moisturizing, and Protection from the Elements. Your skin is the largest organ of the body and its not there just to make you look good. It protects you against heat, light, injury and infection. It regulates body temperature and stores water, fat and vitamin D. Without the sensory nerve cells in your skin, you couldn’t touch or feel warmth, cold, or other sensations.
Men’s skin is a fraction thicker than women’s and therefore is a little tougher, which is just as well considering the rigors of shaving and the harsh concoctions that some of you slap on to it. Not only does a guys skin age more slowing than a woman’s (Good News), but a recent study showed that women's skin loses collagen at a faster rate than a man’s as well. The average man has about 20 square feet of skin the weights about 8-10 pounds. Each square inch of skin contains as many as 650 sweat glands, 20 yards of blood vessels, more than 1000 nerve endings 60 hairs and 100 sebaceous (oil) glands. Skin is thickest on the soles of the feet and upper back (1/5 of an inch) and thinnest (and quicker to wrinkle) on the eyelids (1/50 of an inch) and lips. Sweat glands help keep your skin cool and oil glands produce sebum, which keeps your skin soft, pliable and waterproof. And all the while, blood vessels are working to supply the skin with the nutrients it needs to keep replenishing itself, and carry waste products to the lungs for oxygenation and removal.
Hair is actually a modified type of skin. It grows everywhere on the human body except the palms of the hands, soles of the feet, eyelids, and lips. Hair grows more quickly in summer than winter, and more slowly at night than during the day. Nails are also a type of modified skin - serve the purpose of protecting the sensitive tips of our fingers. Without them, we’d have a hard time scratching an itch or untying a knot. Your skin is made up of 3 main layers: the outer epidermis, the inner dermis and subcutaneous tissue. The epidermis (outer layer of the skin) is mostly made up of flat, scale-like cells called squamous cells. Under the squamous cells are round cells called basal Cells. The deepest part of the epidermis also contains melanocytes. These cells produce melanin, which gives the skin its color. Your epidermis is always making new skin cells that rise to the top to replace the old ones. In fact, every minute of the day we lose about 30,000 to 40,000 dead skin cells off the surface of our skin. That’s almost 10 pounds (4.5 kilograms) of cells every year!
The dermis (inner layer of skin) contains blood and lymph vessels, hair follicles, and glands. The dermis layer contains more than 2 million sweat glands. Sweat-producing glands are found everywhere in the skin, although they are most prevalent in the forehead, palms, and soles of the feet. By producing sweat, these glands help regulate body temperature, and waste products are excreted through them. These glands also produce sebum, an oily substance that helps keep the skin from drying out. Sweat and sebum reach the skin’s surface through tiny openings called pores. Under the dermis lies subcutaneous tissue composed primarily of fat. This skin layer insulates and protects your inner organs and helps give your skin its resilience. Skin is elastic - it stretches when we bend or smile and repositions itself when we straighten up. Two types of fibers in the dermis account for this: collagen, which is strong and hard to stretch; and elastin, which is elastic, enabling ease of movement. In older adults, these fibers disappear and skin becomes wrinkled. Because the cells in the epidermis are completely replaced about every 28 days, the skin looks youthful for many years, and cuts and bruises heal quickly.
Most people are surprised to learn that the skin, including the mucous membranes, is among the most vital components of immunity. The immune system’s basic task is to recognize "self" (the body’s own cells) and "non-self" (an antigen, a virus, fungus, bacterium, or any piece of foreign tissue, as well as some toxins). Among the primary components of the immune system is a variety of specialized cells- white blood cells-whose job is to recognize these antigens and eliminate them. The skin not only forms a wall against intruders, but also actually alerts the white blood cells if the wall is breached by invading organisms (through a wound, for instance). It is this communications network that helps organize the immune response. The protection afforded by the intact skin is why it’s nearly impossible to catch a disease from a toilet seat, for example.
Your skin does change on its own with age-for example, oil producing glands become less active, your skin becomes drier, you sweat less and your skin can take longer to heal. All the more reason to keep your skin clean as you get older. The natural ageing process also causes biochemical changes in collagen and elastin; the connective tissues that give skin its firmness and elasticity.
When a cell converts oxygen into energy, tiny molecules called free radicals are also made. Free radicals work to rid the body of harmful toxins and also maintain many basic life functions, including the immune system, metabolism, and collagen production and keeping everything healthy. However, while free radicals are normal by-products of cells and have certain beneficial roles in the body, they also travel through the cell disrupting the structure of other molecules and results in cellular damage. This process of free radical damage is called oxidative stress. Free-radical damage can lead to cell destruction and over time oxidative stress can damage proteins, lipids, DNA and carbohydrates. All of the normal signs of ageing can be traced to this free radial formation and their subsequent assault on the body at the cellular level.
Antioxidants are a group of naturally occurring defensive enzymes that acts as the body’s primary line of defense against free radical damage. These antioxidants protect the cells from damage by seeking out and neutralizing these free radicals. The body produces its own antioxidant enzymes that act as the primary line of defense but they are soon overrun and need reinforcements from antioxidant foods. But these defenses are never 100% efficient. There are over 60 trillion cells in the body each getting over 1000 free radical hits each day. Antioxidant enzymes rush to repair most (but not all) of the damage. It is the accumulation of the unrepaired cellular damage that fuels the aging process. Free radicals damage collagen, the protein latticework that maintains the skin's firmness and suppleness. The breakdown of this latticework causes the skin to lose its ability to snap back after stretching. As a result, wrinkles form.
Beginning in your 20’s, the effects of aging begin to be visible in the skin. As skin becomes less elastic, it also becomes drier. Underlying fat padding begins to disappear and the skin begins to sag. It looks less supple and fine wrinkles form. These are all acts of the natural aging process. With age, the number of blood vessels in your skin also decreases. Your dermis gets thinner and more fragile and your skin loses its youthful color and glow. In addition your skin replaces old cells more slowly and cells repair themselves less effectively. This all can lead to an increase in bruising of the skin and slower wound healing. Gravity also is at work, as you get older, pulling at the skin and causing it to sag, most noticeably on the face, neck, and upper arms.
Ultraviolet (UV) rays are an invisible form of radiation from the sun that can penetrate and change the structure of skin cells. There are three types of UV rays: Ultra-Violet A (UVA), Ultra-Violet B (UVB)) and Ultra-violet C (UVC). UVC rays are extremely hazardous to skin but are completely absorbed by the stratospheric ozone layer. UVC rays therefore, never reach the skin’s surface so luckily we don’t need to worry about their effects. UVA rays are longer wave radiation that’s part of the ultraviolet spectrum (320-340 nm-Short Wave UVA and 340-400 nm Long Wave UVA.) They are the most abundant source of solar radiation at the earth’s surface and penetrates beyond the top layer of skin causing wrinkling and leathering of the skin, damaging connective tissue and promoting tanning. UVA rays are less likely to cause an immediate burn but may also be crucial in the development of melanoma, the most deadly of skin cancers.
UVA rays are the sun’s silent killers; you don’t feel them but they are the primary cause of skin cancer and wrinkles. Altitude is a sun enhancer: for every 1,000-foot increase in altitude, the sun’s potency increases by 4%. UVA rays also penetrate through clear glass windows. Even on a cloudy or hazy day, the sun’s rays are present and attacking the skin. UVB rays are short wave radiation (290-320 nanometers). UVB rays are less abundant at the earth’s surface than UVA because significant portions of UVB rays are absorbed by the ozone layer. UVB rays penetrate less deeply than UVA rays, are responsible for reddening and burning of the skin and cause tanning. They also promote cell carcinoma and may worsen the effects of UVA. UVB radiation is the sun’s burning ray, which has an immediate, harmful impact on skin. Damage from UVB rays takes place the very first minute (yes, 60 seconds) of walking outside.
Sunburn is the common name for the acute (short-term) skin damage caused by UV radiation. Even mild sunburn can cause pain and redness on sun-exposed skin. In most cases, there are clear boundary lines where the skin has been protected from the sun by shirtsleeves, shorts, a bathing suit or other clothing. More severe cases of sunburn produce painful blisters, sometimes together with nausea and dizziness. Sun-exposed skin gradually loses moisture and essential oils. The skin can begin to appear dry, flaky and slightly more wrinkled than skin on other parts of your body that have not been exposed to the sun. Dry skin is also one of the most common causes of itching.
In addition to the free radicals that are formed as a by-product of everyday breathing and energy formation, we accelerate our own destruction by taking in free radicals that emanate from the outside our bodies. Exposure to UV radiation accelerates the production of free radicals in the skin cells and thus accelerates the normal aging process of the skin. This condition is called photo-ageing. The effects of photo-ageing accumulate over years of chronic sun exposure. So while sun damage may not show when you're young, it will later in life. And it seems that nothing can completely undo the damaging effects of the sun, which is responsible for the majority of age-associated changes in the skin’s appearance: mottled pigmentation, surface roughness, fine wrinkles, liver spots on the hands, and dilated blood vessels. The skin also bruises and tears more easily and takes longer to heal.
Although most people love the warmth and light of the sun, too much sun exposure significantly damages human skin. Over time, the sun’s heat tends to dry out areas of unprotected skin and to deplete their supply of natural lubricating oils. In addition, the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) radiation can cause both short-term burning and long-term changes in the skin’s structure that push’s up your odds of developing cancer, heart disease and cataracts as well as premature skin ageing including wrinkles.
Cigarette smoking also contributes to wrinkles. Smoking fills the body with millions of free radicals, as do other environmental pollutants. People who smoke tend to have more wrinkles than nonsmokers of the same age, complexion, and history of sun exposure. Facial wrinkling increases with the amount of cigarettes and number of years a person has smoked.
Free radicals generated by sun exposure not only accelerate the ageing process of the skin but also damage the genetic structure of skin cells, which contributes to the development of cancer. Healthy cells grow, divide, and replace themselves in an orderly way. This process keeps the body in good repair. When normal cells lose their ability to limit and direct their growth (thought to be due to free radical damage to the DNA) they can divide too rapidly and grow without any order. Too much tissue is produced and tumors begin to form. One-half of all new cancers diagnosed each year in the United States are Skin Cancers (now being described as an epidemic). The Incidence of all skin cancers has been rising 4% to 5% each year, and there are now more than 1.3 million new cases diagnosed annually The single most important risk factor for cancer is age and most skin cancers won’t appear until after age 50. According to current estimates, 40 to 50 percent of Americans who live to age 65 will have skin cancer at least once. Because the U.S. population is both growing and ageing, even if rates of cancer remain constant, the number of people diagnosed with skin cancer will increase substantially.
The three major types of skin cancer are basal cell carcinoma (80% of all skin cancers), squamous cell carcinoma (16% of all skin cancers), and melanomas% of skin cancers). Basal cell carcinoma accounts for more than 90% of all skin cancers in the United States. It is a slow-growing cancer that seldom spreads to other parts of the body. Squamous cell carcinoma also rarely spreads, but it does so more often than basal cell carcinoma. Another type of cancer that occurs in the skin is melanoma, which begins in the melanocytes. Basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas can cause substantial illness and, if untreated, can cause considerable damage and disfigurement. If detected and treated early, however, these carcinomas have a cure rate of more than 95%.
Malignant melanoma is the most serious form of skin cancer in the US. Over 53,000 cases will be diagnosed this year and close to 8,000 Americans will die from it. Melanoma and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma are the only 2 major human cancers still increasing in incidence. The incidence of melanoma has nearly tripled in the last 4 decades -- a rate faster than that of any other cancer. Malignant melanoma causes more than 75% of all deaths from skin cancer. In a recent issue of the Journal Cancer it was reported that “nearly 50% of all melanoma deaths in the United States are in white men aged at least 50 years,” and a recent population-based study in Florida found that white males were more than twice as likely to have late-stage melanoma. This disease can also spread to other organs, most commonly the lungs and liver.
