from the effects of the sun (although this is the time when most of the damage is being done and its effects will start to become visible within a few years).
    As we grow out of childhood our skin naturally changes. During the teenage years hormonal changes account for an increase in sebum secretion and the development of spotsand acne. Later in life, this extreme hormone production declines.
    As we age, the rate of loss of the old skin cells from the stratum corneum slows down.
    As well as this, the epidermis gradually gets less translucent and does not retain water so well. All the skin functions take place more slowly in mature skin. In addition, as most of us have been exposed to the sun to a greater or lesser degree over many decades, the 'damage' to the dermis can now be seen even through the dry epidermis.
    This is why older skin looks dry, less radiant and less plumped out. This affects all races, but those who deliberately avoid the sun will tend to preserve their skins for longer.
    The rate at which our skin changes is dependent to some extent on what we inherited in the first place, how we treated it and how we looked after it. The effect of aging on skin is one of the features of skin that trouble us most. Our anxiety about its aspects has led to a whole industry setting out to prevent and correct the damage we do to ourselves over many years.