The appearance of the skin is a primary indicator of age. The appearance of one's skin also reflects general health, communicates ethnicity and lifestyle. These features are largely determined by skin color, texture, firmness, and smoothness. As one ages, skin tends to become uneven in color, roughened, lax and wrinkled. 

Sun-exposed areas are more sensitive to the UV radiation, and need to be covered or protected with sunscreen. Sun-exposed areas to be especially mindful of include:

• Face
• Neck
• Upper Chest
• Forearms
• Hands

These changes are more pronounced in people who are lightly pigmented. Dark pigmentation provides substantial protection against the damaging effects of acute UV irradiation.

The skin is not only the largest human organ, it is the only organ chronically exposed to the environment and on display. During the last decade, substantial progress has been made towards understanding the underlying mechanisms of human skin aging. The desire of a large proportion of the world’s adult population to maintain youthful-looking skin has fueled a multibillion-dollar industry that includes: 

• Cosmetics
• Oral or topical cosmeceuticals
• Invasive and non-invasive procedures
• Laser resurfacing
• Injection of fillers
• Neurotoxins
• Surgery

Surgeries and other cosmeceuticals are often expensive and the results are not always as satisfying as expected. The best, and most natural way of keeping your youthfulness, is by taking care of your skin on a daily basis. A healthy diet and lifestyle, coupled with LifePharm's supplements can go a long way.

What Happens to Aging Skin?

A major feature of aged skin is the fragmentation of the collagen matrix. Collagen fragmentation is responsible for loss of structural integrity and impairment of fibroblast function in aged human skin. In aged skin, collapsed fibroblasts (skin cells) produce low levels of collagen and high levels of enzymes in the skin that degrade collagen, whereas when fibroblasts are functioning properly they make several types of collagen fibers and hold together a matrix made of several proteins.

• Type I collagen is the most abundant protein in human skin, comprising 90 percent of the dry weight of skin.
• Fibrous collagen types I, III, and V self-assemble into larger collagen fibers that form a three-dimensional structural network throughout the dermis. When these mechanisms are disrupted, the aging process is advanced.

What Type of Skin Do You Have - The Fitzpatrick Skin Type System

One way to combat aging skin is with adequate nutrition. A recent study evaluates protein, vitamin C and plant bioflavonoids in the improvement of skin’s appearance and collagen formation in four skin types. The “Fitzpatrick skin type” system (or phototype) classifies skin by the amount of melanin pigment in the skin. 

This is determined by constitutional color (white, brown, or black skin) and the result of exposure to ultraviolet radiation (tanning). Pale or white skin tends to burn more easily and sometimes tans more slowly and poorly: it needs more protection against sun exposure. Darker skin burns less and tans more easily but is also more prone to develop post-inflammatory pigmentation after injury (brown marks).