With an area of about 1.48 to 2.04 square meters, the skin is not just a defensive barrier for the body. Your skin is an organ that regulates the secretion and excretion of metabolic waste, regulates body temperature. It has receptors for pain, touch, and pressure. The health and appearance of your skin, like the health of other organs in your body, is related to your lifestyle, eating habits, and other vital and important sensory factors, such as hormonal changes.
Skin aging is influenced by many factors, such as UV radiation, excessive alcohol consumption, excessive tobacco consumption, and environmental pollution. Skin aging is accompanied by loss of skin fibrous tissue, decreased cell renewal, and a relative decrease in the density of the skin’s vascular and glandular network. On the other hand, the skin’s defense system, which is responsible for maintaining cellular moisture, is disrupted with age. (Hypodermis) also collapses (especially in the face and hands). The aging process is largely related to the individual’s genetic makeup and lifestyle, so that in normal cases, the physiological activity of the skin decreases to 50% of its original level in middle age, and if supportive methods are used to strengthen the skin’s defense systems, the quality and youthfulness of the skin quickly declines.
Anatomy and function of the skin:
The skin is made up of three distinct layers: the epidermis, dermis, and hypodermis, and each layer has its own unique cellular makeup.
Epidermis: The outermost layer, which contains keratin, which strengthens the skin, mannin, which is located in the basal or base layer of the epidermis and actually determines the depth of skin color, and finally, cells called Langerhans, which play a role in skin immunity, are also located in the epidermis. The epidermis actually protects the skin from the environment.
Dermis: Located immediately beneath the epidermis, it forms the scaffolding and strength of the skin. Unlike the epidermis, the dermis contains blood vessels, nerves, and fibroblasts, forms sensory receptors, delivers nutrients to skin cells, and forms the foundation of the skin. The most abundant connective tissue in the dermis is collagen and proteins, whose primary function is to maintain the firmness and consistency of the skin.
Hypodermis: The layer beneath the skin, the hypodermis, contains adipocytes (fat cells) that are responsible for maintaining skin heat. The skin also contains sebaceous (oil) and sweat glands that prevent skin dryness, protect the skin from bacteria, and maintain the body’s core temperature.
Factors causing skin aging:
Premature skin aging is the result of numerous factors such as physical and mental stress, excessive alcohol consumption, improper nutrition, overeating, environmental pollution, and exposure to ultraviolet radiation.
Genetics:
Skin cells are a group of cells in the body that age very quickly and need to be replaced. As we age, the process of skin cell replication slows down due to genetic (DNA) reasons, which leads to skin aging.
Hormones:
As we age, levels of the sex hormones estrogen and testosterone, as well as growth hormone, decline. These hormones have a profound effect on the skin, and just as an increase in sex hormones during puberty leads to acne, a decrease in them at a later age leads to skin aging. In women, a decrease in estrogen levels during menopause causes specific changes in the skin. Estrogen affects skin thickness, wrinkles, and moisture. Estrogen plays a role in regulating the rate of proliferation and replacement of skin cells with young cells, helping to renew the skin.
Oxidative stress:
Since the skin is the outermost layer of the body and is exposed to the surrounding environment, it is very affected by environmental damage, one of which is ultraviolet radiation. Following the irradiation of ultraviolet radiation to the skin, molecules called free radicals are produced in the skin, which cause cell destruction and result in results such as skin discoloration, sagging and loose skin, and wrinkles. On the other hand, today, the production of these free radicals has been found to be effective in increasing the skin’s susceptibility to allergic reactions. With increasing age and decreasing skin immunity on the one hand, and the presence of these free radicals on the other hand, the susceptibility to skin infections and cancers increases.
Increased glycation:
Interestingly, what happens to meat proteins when meat is cooked quickly, causing the skin to turn brown, happens to the proteins in the human body over time, and this process is especially accelerated when body proteins are exposed to carbohydrates and heat in the absence of moisture. When sugar enters the bloodstream, the end products of sugar metabolism form strong chemical bonds with proteins, including collagen, and these fibers lose their elasticity and become stiff, brittle, and prone to breaking down.
Ultraviolet rays: Following UV radiation to epidermal cells, these cells are depleted of vitamin C and vitamin E reserves. Therefore, the antioxidant capacity of these cells decreases and cell aging is accelerated.
UV ray wavelength and its effect on the skin:
UV.A , or long-wavelength radiation, which makes up the majority of the sun’s rays, penetrates 90-95% deeper into the epidermis and dermis. This is the part of the sun’s rays that is responsible for the increase in color, following sunbathing and tanning of the skin. It also causes skin sensitivity in some people following direct and prolonged exposure to sunlight. Therefore, it is not bad to know that tanning under the sun is evidence of skin damage following exposure to sunlight and getting closer to skin aging.
UV.B comprises five percent of UV rays and is responsible for causing non-melanoma skin cancer. This spectrum of radiation is also responsible for the production of vitamin D in skin cells and the precursor of vitamin D. Today, some believe that making the daily required amount of vitamin D through the skin alone is not worth the amount of damage that the sun does to the skin.
Another external factor that intensifies the aging process of the skin is tobacco and cigarettes. Smokers often have skin with more pronounced wrinkles, dehydrated (dry and dehydrated), and sagging skin. It is interesting to know that the effects of smoking disappear significantly within 9 months of quitting smoking.
Nutritional tips:
Today, nutrition plays an important role in maintaining skin health.
Carbohydrates: As discussed above, their excessive consumption leads to accelerated aging.
Fats: Since they play an important role in the structure of cell walls, it is very important to maintain a balance in the consumption of fats, especially the beneficial types, namely essential fatty acids (omega-3 and 6). Today, it is believed that in a beneficial diet, the level of omega-6 should be 15 times that of omega-3.
Sources of omega-6 (arachidonic acid) are found in egg yolks, domestic chicken skin, not industrial chicken, and fish oil. Omega-3 (eicosapentaenoic acid) and (eicosahexaneoic acid) are abundant, and omega-3 is very beneficial for some diseases such as acne, psoriasis, and rosacea.
Micronutrients and antioxidants:
These substances help the skin to maintain its antioxidant capacity, and of course other body tissues. These substances include catechins in green tea, anthocyanins in blackberries and red cabbage, bioflavonoids in citrus fruits, carotenoids such as lycopene and lutein in tomatoes, and genistein in soy.
Salt:
Research has shown that high salt consumption and high blood pressure reduce the volume and density of blood capillaries, and avoiding salt consumption and controlling blood pressure helps increase the density of capillary blood flow in the skin.
Calorie intake:
Research has shown that limiting daily calorie intake (only to the amount needed and no more) leads to increased skin lifespan and improved cell renewal.
