Intrinsic aging, it's also known as the natural aging process, is an ongoing process that normally begins in or around our mid-20s. From that age onwards, our mind, as well as our body starts to age and as we begin to grow older aging starts to become most visible in the largest organ of our body-the skin.
Fear not because whilst these changes that begin in our 20s can have a noticeable effect on the look of our skin the outward signs of intrinsic aging are typically not always visible for decades.
Some of the first signs of intrinsic aging are:
\"dry Skin\"
- Fine wrinkles.
- Thin and transparent skin.
- Loss of underlying fat, leading to hollowed cheeks and eye sockets as well as noticeable loss of firmness on the hands and neck.
- Bones shrink away from the skin due to bone loss, which causes sagging skin.
- Dry skin that may itch.
- Inability to sweat sufficiently to cool the skin.
- Greying hair and hair loss.
Of course it is our genes that control how quickly or otherwise the normal aging process starts to show. Some people may well notice those first grey hairs in their 20s whereas it will not show in others until their 40s.
As we reach our thirties skin cell turnover begins to slow down and there is a decrease in new cell reproduction. Those dead skin cells on the skin's surface do not shed as quickly and the rate of new skin cells moving up from the dermis will start to lessen slightly. The natural production of collagen and elastin slows down and suddenly our skin begins to lose radiance and plumpness and has less spring. Thus begins the start of the formation of lines and wrinkles.
For all of us aging is a natural phenomenon and there is little that we can do to hold back time. However, if you are one of those people who begin to experience the signs of aging skin too early in life and you want to do something about the premature aging of your skin now is the time to take extra care...
Extrinsic aging is self inflicted aging skin; we can cause this by adopting the wrong kind of lifestyle, by too much exposure to sunlight, too much alcohol and smoking, being stressed out, too little sleep and the wrong kind of diet.
In a world free from pollution and with us all maintaining healthy lifestyles and eating healthy foods free radicals within our bodies would remain at natural levels but unfortunately that is far from reality.
Free radicals are complex chemical processes that can directly damage various cellular structures within the body including skin cells and support mechanisms that help keep our skin looking healthy and radiant. It is these free radicals that are widely accepted as the critical mechanism that can lead to premature aging skin. With age the natural defence mechanisms that help to counteract the effects of free radicals begin to decrease and it is this imbalance that leads to the early onset of lines, wrinkles and dull and sallow looking complexions.
Of course the skin naturally contains a number of antioxidants that help battle against the problem by scavenging the free radicals but if we add to any imbalance of free radicals to antioxidants as we begin to age by the lifestyles that we lead we only encourage the rouge elements that will press the fast forward button on the aging process. We do not need to self inflict this damage the natural aging process is really very good at its job and needs no help from us.
No matter how much you crave for healthier, more youthful looking skin, no matter how many pounds of cream you put on your face to improve the way you look, if you have the wrong lifestyle and diet you are fighting a losing battle.
Your skin is going to reflect your overall energies, your vitality, your emotions and most importantly how well or otherwise you are taking care of yourself... OK then it's your call!
A Smart & Sensible Way to Anti Aging Skin Care
If you would like to know more about anti aging skin care and how to avoid the early onset of wrinkles visit http://takingcareofskin.com/blog