WHAT CAUSES WRINKLES?

In order to understand what causes wrinkles, one should first know how the skin is organized. Wrinkles can appear on the face, hands, and other parts of the body. There are many factors that cause wrinkles, and aging is the main internal underlying cause as it allows free play to these external factors.

THE SKIN COMPOSITION

The skin is a body organ – living, breathing, with blood supply, and reproducing everyday to maintain its normal appearance. It is a layered structure with three main layers – top (epidermis), middle (dermis), and bottom (subcutaneous tissue.) The three layers have their unique composition, properties, and blood supply. The junction between the dermis and the epidermis is important because it is made of blood vessels that supply blood to the top most layer. The subcutaneous tissue layer contains the fat cells.

EFFECTS OF AGING ON SKIN LAYERS

What happens to the skin structures as you age? The outer layer cells become thinner, and do not adhere closely. This causes more moisture to be released and makes the skin dryer. The cells also do not reproduce as fast as when you are young, something like 10% less. Hence damage to the skin in the form of wear and tear is not quickly repaired. A reduction in blood supply through the junction between the top two layers also causes an impoverished skin that heals slowly.

The middle layer plays an important role in causing wrinkles. This layer contains three types of important fibers: elastin, collagen, and a special type of tissue. These tissues hold the skin together, giving it strength, firmness, elasticity, turgor, and cohesiveness. They are called connecting tissues. With aging, there is a reduction in the quantity of these tissues resulting in sagging and loss of firmness. External factors also affect these tissues, as discussed below.

FACTORS CAUSING SKIN WRINKLES

Sunlight – UVA, UVB rays

Our skin is naturally equipped with pigmentation to protect us against the harmful components of sunrays – the ultra violet component that can penetrate much deeper inside the skin. It can "see through" our skin and cause damage to underlying tissues that are not supposed to be exposed to light. Almost 90% of premature skin aging is said to occur due to overexposure in the sun without protection. The UV rays break down collagen, and elastin accumulates leading to skin dysfunction.

Free Radicals

A free radical is an oxygen molecule with one electron missing. This makes it hunt for another molecule to acquire the missing part. The partner it uses to acquire this missing electron then becomes one electron short, and the process goes on. This is said to damage body tissues, and one factor leading to skin problems. Smoke, pollution, UV rays – are considered promoters of free radicals. Anti-oxidants are the compounds that work against free radicals.

Hormones

Reduction in levels of estrogen after menopause is considered a factor that affects collagen production. There is still research going on to study if hormones could play a role in causing wrinkles.

Gravity

The effect of gravity is to pull the skin layers down. A reduction of connective tissue can therefore make the skin more responsive to this pulling down force of gravity.

WORRY CAUSES WRINKLES

That’s the name of a book written by Michael Levy, poet and philosopher of life. Everyone understands how our emotional state of mind affects our health, and how our face is like a mirror to our mind. So it should be clear that happy, clear, laughing minds show on the face with clear, smooth, shining skin. And sadness, grief, feelings of loss, bereavement, and pain leave wrinkles behind by accelerating the aging process.

Here is the lotion to this problem:

Jokes

Q: What happens to your body as you age?
A: When you get old, so do your bowels and you get inter- continental.

Q: What happens to a boy when he reaches puberty?
A: He says good-bye to his boyhood and looks forward to his adultery.