Ageing skin

Medical terms

Ageing skin, photodamage

Common terms

Ageing skin

Overview

As we age, collagen production slows within the skin, and elastin which enables skin to snap back into place becomes less springy. Dead skin cells do not shed as quickly and new skin cell turnover decreases.

Symptoms and signs

Symptoms can include:
- fine wrinkles
- thin and transparent skin
- loss of fat and firmness of the skin, leading to hollowed cheeks and eye sockets
- sagging skin, and
- dry itchy skin,
Lips may become thinner due to tissue volume loss.

Treatment

While we can’t halt the ageing process we can minimise the effects and there are a range of treatments including the use of sunscreen to minimise the effect of sun damage, skin care regimes, the use of botulinum toxins (e.g. Botox®) and dermal fillers including hyaluronic acid (e.g. Tyosal® and Restylane®) and poly-l-lactic acid (e.g. Sculptra®).