As with all our body organs, skin ages as programmed by genes. This is called internal ageing. Dry skin, age spots, white hair, hair loss, thin nails and other skin changes come purely due to age. Skin also ages by external factors. Sun is the main external factor that ages the skin. The sun rays consist of many light spectrums. Ultra violet rays damage the skin most. Both UVA and UVB are responsible for skin damage. Ageing due to sun is called photo ageing.

Sun-Sun breaks down the collagen and elastin in the skin. The skin loses its elasticity and firmness and develops premature wrinkles. Photo ageing depends on the skin color and the amount of sun exposure over the years. Dark colored individuals show less sun damage while fair skinned people show more sun damage for the same exposure. With rising age, the total sun exposure increases and its gives rise to not only age spots, but also more serious problems such as actinic keratoses and skin cancers. The only way to prevent sun damage is protection from the sun.

Gravity plays its part in skin ageing. As you know gravity pulls everything towards the earth. As we age, the effect of gravity becomes evident. The loss of elastin in the skin with ageing plays a role in this. With gravity, jowls form, the ears elongate, the tip of the nose elongates and other such changes take place.

Smoking- tobacco plays a major role in skin ageing. It is found that smokers form wrinkles sooner than non-smokers. Smokers also develop unsightly yellow hue to their skin color. Smoking brings about biochemical changes in body and that accelerates ageing of skin. By quitting smoking, this can be stopped to a certain extent.

Expressions of face- when we make facial expressions, we use facial muscles and the skin forms lines. With age, the skin loses its ability to spring back and lines form. With repetitive facial expressions, these lines become permanent. To avoid such lines and wrinkles, stop making facial expressions as much as you can and if you are doing facial exercises, be aware that the lines will form permanently.

Sleeping position- Sleep lines form over years depending on your sleeping position. If you sleep with face down on the pillow, you may develop wrinkles on your forehead. if you sleep sideways with your cheeks resting on the pillow, the wrinkles will appear accordingly. To avoid formation of sleep lines, change your sleeping position frequently. If you sleep with your face upward on the pillow, no sleep lines will form.

This article is only for informative purposes. This article is not intended to be a medical advise and it is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult your doctor for your medical concerns. Please follow any tip given in this article only after consulting your doctor. The author is not liable for any outcome or damage resulting from information obtained from this article.