WHY WE DO AGE?

Aging represents the set of changes that occur in the body from birth and as a result of time lived. It involves a progressive alteration of the structures and consequently of the functions that contribute to the balance of life. It involves genetic and environmental factors such as the sun exposure, ionizing radiations, environmental pollution, poor nutritional habits, smoking, alcohol, hormonal deficiency observed during menopause and andropause and mechanical factors such as the gravity of the earth that plays an important role in aging when the skin has lost the tone of the connective tissue and the elastic fibers.

Many theories have been proposed to explain the factors that contribute to aging. Among them is the theory of free radicals which are toxic chemicals generated in the body from metabolic processes of daily living and whose production is often greatly amplified by ultraviolet radiation, alcohol and tobacco as well as environmental pollutants -carcinogenic hydrocarbons-.

Free radicals damage cellular biological membranes, nucleic acids, enzymes and the molecules that make up the supporting tissue of the skin such as collagen and elastin. The fragmentation of the deep elastic fibers and the loss of the normal structure of the collagen fibers determine the lack of elasticity and flaccidity of the skin and therefore the formation of wrinkles and furrows in the skin.

It is then when we notice undesirable «crow´s feet» and when the flaccidity and lack of tone of the skin shows the age by deeply marking the nasolabial folds and marionette lines. It is then that no matter how much you are in a good mood, the contraction and wrinkling of the eyebrows seems to show the opposite. It is also when the cheeks and the neck skin lose their maxillary angle and when the generalized flaccidity in the skin of the body causes the buttocks, breasts and abdomen to fall, thus losing the sensuality of nice curves.

It is worth emphasizing that these undesirable changes occur logically in both men and women and they are not always necessarily related to age. There are frequently adolescents with extremely stained skin or else lacking of freshness and there are individuals under 30 years old who already show crow´s feet or some other sign of aging. These signs can accelerate in young people who do not use an adequate photoprotection or who do not have the advice of an expert aesthetic dermatologist teaching them how to take care of the skin with specialized products instead of over-the-counter products.