There is an old saying that you have the skin you were born with in your 20s and the skin you deserve in your 30s, 40s and 50s. Your skin and hair mirror your inner health. The holy grail of cosmetics, the anti aging cream or serum can help you fake it only for so long. Aging skin and wrinkles are an accumulation of internal health issues that are far easier to prevent than fix by adopting an inside-out approach to maintaining healthy, beautiful skin.

Below the surface

Your anti aging fight will be more effective with an understanding of the way your skin functions. Your skin comprises three distinct layers:

The epidermis This is the very outer layer of your skin and ranges in thickness from .5mm on your eyelids to 1.5mm on your palms and soles of your feet. Your epidermis is made up of five layers of cells. The cells of the bottom layer are column-shaped and gradually move upwards, dying and flattening out when they reach the surface layer of your skin. These flat, dead skin cells form a waterproof barrier to hold moisture in and protect you from bacterial invasion. They are shed and replaced every two to three weeks.

The dermis The second layer of your skin varies in thickness from 0.3mm on your eyelids to 3mm on your back. The dermis contains collagen and elastic fibres. Collagen is held together by elastic fibres of protein called elastin. Despite its name, it is collagen and not elastin that is responsible for the elasticity of your skin. Collagen is arranged in a mesh-like formation and provides the supportive scaffolding to your skin. Aging and other factors that damage collagen or reduce its production allow wrinkles to form. Vitamin C and protein are essential for collagen production. Surrounding the collagen in the dermis is a gel-like substance known as “ground substance”. It is composed of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), or moisture-holding proteins, which bind moisture to your skin and decline as skin ages. The maintenance of your collagen levels is essential in the anti aging fight.

Subcutaneous tissue The third layer of your skin consists of fat and connective tissue and is also rich in larger blood vessels and nerves. Responsible for regulating the temperature of your skin and entire body, the fatty tissue in your skin also decreases with aging and contributes to skin sagging.

Anti aging: Why does skin age?

The natural regenerative processes in your skin do not assist anti aging as we grow older. They begin to slow from the age of 25 as the rate of skin cell renewal decreases. In your 20s, skin is replaced every two to three weeks, slowing to every nine weeks in your 50s. The ability of older skin to retain moisture is also reduced as oil production drops and the breakdown of water-holding GAGs increases. A decrease in collagen results in thinner, less flexible skin that’s more prone to further damage and irritation.

The loss of skin elasticity also produces wrinkles. Over time, damaged proteins accumulate in your skin due to scarring, sun damage, free radical damage and the cross-linking of collagen caused by the consumption of excess sugars, which leads to a process called “glycation”. These are factors to be conscious of when considering your anti aging options.

Meanwhile, gravity is at work, continually pulling on your skin and causing it to sag. Other forms of mechanical aging that encourage skin creases that can lead to wrinkles include pursing your lips around a cigarette, “the thinker’s pose” (resting your face on your hand), smiling, frowning and sleeping on your side or stomach.

Extremes of temperature (which can cause rapid dilation of blood vessels, resulting in broken capillaries), dehydration and sun damage, hormonal imbalances, poor nutrition, food sensitivities/allergies and excess stress all speed the rate at which your skin ages by promoting inflammation and reducing your skin’s ability to heal. Chronic inflammation going on inside your body is like a bushfire ravaging your skin. These factors are deadly in your anti aging campaign.