It was bound to happen, the appearance of wrinkles on your face.  You may have had perfect skin as a youth and never really had to give it special care but all of a sudden you look into the mirror and realize how time has passed.  You skin has dried out and you see wrinkles where there used to be smooth healthy skin.

Before we talk about wrinkles, let’s find out more about the skin in general.  The skin is composed of three layers which are the epidermis, the dermis and the subcutaneous tissue.

The epidermis is the outermost layer.  It works like a barrier protecting the inner layers of the skin and counteracting the negative effects of the environment.  The cells of the epidermis are called keratynocites and they create a protective keratin shell.

The dermis is the second layer.  It serves as a bridge between the external and the inner layer of the skin.  The dermis contains collagen which gives strength, and elastin which gives the skin a flexible quality.  The junction between the epidermis and the dermis is very important.  This layer contains blood vessels that ensure that the epidermis is supplied with the right amounts of blood and nutrients.

The subcutaneous tissue is the last layer of the skin.  Large blood vessels and nerves can be found in it.  It also has fat which regulates the body’s temperature.  The thickness of the subcutaneous tissue varies from person to person.

The skin is one of the organs of the body that is most affected by ageing.  As a person ages, the cells of his or her skin start to lose most of their functions.  The skin becomes dry because water is let loose from it.  The thinner the epidermal cells become, the more water is lost.  Every ten years the epidermal cells are wasted and the process of regeneration gradually decreases.  Because of this the skin becomes more vulnerable and sensitive. 

The dermis is also significantly affected by ageing.  It becomes thinner and the amount of collagen and elastin it produces decreases.  The result of these major changes is the appearance of wrinkles.  In addition, the sebaceous glands also begin to produce less sebum and the sweat glands decrease their activity and again, the effect is skin dryness.

The subcutaneous tissue is not spared.  Ageing causes its fat cells to decrease and lose strength their strength to recover from the damage of the two upper layers.

When the skin condition has started to deteriorate because of ageing, it becomes even more susceptible to the other factors that cause wrinkles.  Lines and spots from overexposure to the sun become more visible.  Jowls, drooping eyelids and prolonged earlobes which are the result of gravity’s pull become more pronounced with the loss of elastin fibers.  The muscles which we use to make facial gestures and expressions also cause wrinkles to appear.

If you do not do anything to control the destructive effects of these external and external factors, you are doomed to have a heavily wrinkled face when you get old and even before it.  Fortunately, science and nature offer ways to keep this from happening.  Make use of these as much as you can.