Page 65 -- SKIN AND AGING
World of Skin Care Information - Table of Contents Some Common Skin Problems Intrinsic and extrinsic aging Summary of how skin changes with age Skin care World of Skin Care Information Index

Skin aging in men and women

 The processes of aging differ in male and female skin.
    In men, there is a gradual thinning of male skin with increasing age of approximately 1% per year. On the other hand the thickness of most women's skins remains surprisingly constant until the menopause, after which there is a significant and sometimes dramatic thinning with increasing age.
    There is a relationship between skin thickness and collagen content in men of all ages. A similar relationship exists among women over 60 years of age, but it is less evident in younger women.
    In adult skin, the features of aging are closely related to the total collagen content, which in both sexes decreases with increasing age, but at different rates. In later life women may look		   older than men of the same age and similar experience of sun exposure, partly because their skin has a lower collagen content to start with. Another reason for the gender difference in skin collagen content may be the difference in male hormone production between men and women.
    In women, estrogen and androgen output from the ovaries and adrenal glands falls after menopause, resulting in decreased collagen synthesis and repair.
    Aging related to the failure of estrogen production at the menopause accentuates intrinsic aging, and together with photoaging may dramatically increase the apparent age of a menopausal woman.
    Estrogen deficiency particularly affects the fibroblasts of the dermis, and thinning of the skin is primarily related to a decrease in the production of collagen. This decrease is related
World of Skin Care Information - Table of Contents Some Common Skin Problems Intrinsic and extrinsic aging Summary of how skin changes with age Skin care World of Skin Care Information Index