All Human skin is made in three layers. The outermost layer is the epidermis. Next comes the dermis and the innermost layer is called the hypodermis

Information: The Epidermis

When you look in the mirror or run you hand across your skin, interesting is that the epidermis itself is made up of different layers of cells.

First there is keratin. Keratin is a protein that is hard. It is what keeps your skin from getting water logged when you put your hands in water or go for a swim. The other major cells in the epidermis are called Melanocyters. The melanocyters produce the melatonin which is what gives your skin pigmentation (color).

Your epidermis sheds dead skin cells. The cells in your skin move to the surface (the epidermis). They die and slough off. Sometimes you might see small flakes of skin cells on your bedding or on a dark piece of clothing that was next to your skin all day.

By the time you have reached age 70, you will have shed some 40 pounds of skin cells. John. J Medina, the author of The Clock of Ages notes that 75% of human household dust is dead skin cells!

What is most important to remember about the epidermis is that it is made up of proteins: Keratin, which makes it waterproof, and melanocyters which affects your skin color.

The Dermis

The layer under the epidermis is called the dermis. This layer is what gives your skins its ability to stretch, to be elastic (return to place after stretching) and to remain strong.

Your dermis contains the proteins collagen and elastin. Collagen gives your skin its strength and form. Elastinare the proteins that give your skin its elasticity.

To review: Your epidermis provides your individual skin color and it makes your skin waterproof. Your dermis which is the next layer down, gives your skin its elasticity and its strength. You can pinch your skin and it will not fall off. And it will return to its original shape when you stop pinching it.

The Hypodermis

The third and last layer of your skin is called the hypodermis. Your hypodermis is composed mostly of fat cells. They act as a sort of anchor for the rest of your skin layers. Your hypodermis also includes nerve fibers that allow your skin to be so sensitive to touch.

Fibres from your dermis (the second layer) extend down through your hypodermis and attach to your muscles and blood vessels. And so your skin stays attached to the rest of your body.

Sweat glands. In addition to the proteins, there are sweat glands, hair folicies and sebaceous glands through out the three layers of your skin. Their purpose is to bring oils to the surface of your skin.

So what about Aging and Anti-aging skin?

As we age there are changes to these three layers of skin and these changes can affect our appearance.

• The epidermis. As we grow older the rate at which old cells are sloughed off and replaced by newer cells slows down. We begin to lose some skin tissue. And the new cells coming to the epidermis are a bit more irregular or uneven. Result? Our skin develops small creases and wrinkles!. If you wish to read more about this go to Anti-aging skin: Epidermis .
• The dermis. As we grow older collagen proteins are replaced more slowly. As a result our skin ‘stiffens’ a bit. It loses some flexibility. Also our elastin fibers become more brittle. This means that our skin loses its ability to move smoothly with movements of our arms and legs. It is slower to return to place. It sags!. To read more go to:  Anti-aging skin: dermis
• The third layer, the hypodermis also undergoes changes. The amount of our fat tissue in this layer decreases. But the loss of fat tissue is not uniform. As a result the fibers connecting to the muscles below are not as stable as they used to be. This instability coupled with a reduction in overall muscle mass that often occurs with age, makes for even greater sagging. See: Anti-aging skin: Hypodermis
• Finally there are changes in our sweat glands and sebaceous glands. They slow down and so there is less moisture brought to the surface of the skin and less oil.We develop drier skin. It become more brittle and is more easily subject to scrapes. And as the number of fat cells in the hypodermis decrease and there are changes in the collagen and elastin of the dermis, the shape of our faces begin to change. Our cheeks appear a bit more sunken, our foreheads a bit more wrinkled, the skin under our eyes sags and forms ‘bags’ and our chin becomes a bit less pointy.

Scientists have found that there are a number of things that you can do to slow the process of aging skin. You can retain youthful skin well into your nineties. And if you have neglected good skin care, there are a number of things you can do now to reverse aging skin.

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Since this deepest layer of skin supports and nourishes the two other layers, changes in this layer account for many of the typical signs of facial and body aging.

Hypodermis aging is marked by the loss of fat tissues. This loss affects the shape of your face and hands. There can be a sagging of the skin on the face, neck and hands. Your cheeks and eye sockets may become hallow and the skin on your neck, arms and hands may lose its firmness.

Is there anything to slow or reverse this process?

Although changes in the deepest level of our skin do affect the ‘look of aging’ the cosmetic industry has no way of treating this skin layer. Any treatment would need to be done by a qualified dermatologist and even there, there are not too many options.

True there are surgical treatments such as face lifts that affect surface appearance. These treatments may tighten the skin but they do not really add substance to diminishing fat tissue or fibrous bands.

In reviewing the research published in scientific journals I found a few studies that may offer ideas if you are going to consult a dermatologsit:

1. In April 2008, the journal Dermatological Surgery Published a study done at the University of Alberta in Canada.

Researchers used soft tissue fillers to rejuvenate hands that had developed hallowing from aging. As noted above hypodermis aging can affect the shape and plumpness of hands and face. The researchers concluded that hyaluronic acid proved to be superior in efficacy to collagen as a filler to restore the shape of hands.

2. In addition there are a number of dermatologists who use injectable soft tissue fillers or botulism toxin Type A for the face. These are considered minimally invasive and were among the most commonly performed cosmetic procedures in the United States in 2006.

3.An article in Facial Plast Surg. May, 2006 concluded that “when used individually or in combination,(these agents) can effectively decrease rhytids and restore lost volume. The result is a fuller, smoother, more youthful appearance.

If you are going to consult with a dermatologist about any aspect of treatment for this third and deepest level of your skin, be sure to choose someone with experience – especially if you are going to undergo a surgical procedure. Questions such as: How long have you been doing this procedure? How many of these procedures have you done in the last year? are important.

Surgery, like any skill is perfected with practice. You want to trust your face only to a very experienced surgeon.

Your dermis makes up about 90% of your skin’s thickness. It includes collagen and elastic fibers. It also contains fibroblasts, which are the cells that repair your skin. It also contains sweat glands and special glands found in your armpits, ear canals, nipples and genital areas that secrete ‘pheromones’ which are subtle attractors – especially to the opposite sex.

OK…so those are the basics. Now what happens as you age?

This layer of your skin undergoes a number of changes as you age.

1. One of the most noticeable changes to Aging dermis is in the bonding of the two outermost layers of your skin. There are tiny projections from your dermis that connect this skin layer with the epidermis. These projections become flatter as you age. Result? There is less sharing of nutrients and the moisture holding molecules between these two layers of skin.Also, since the projections are flatter, the attachment between the layers is less firm. Even a minor injury can cause the two layers to separate and so skin blisters occur more often as you age.
2. The blood vessels in your dermis also undergo change – especially if you have let it be exposed to the sun very much. (Remember all the notices about using Sun Screen every time you go out?) The sun causes the blood vessels in your dermis to thicken. Then as you age they begin to dilate. This is what causes the spidery web of tiny red threads you sometimes see in older people.
3. The most common sign of aging dermis is the reduction in the cells (fibroblasts) that actually make you collagen and elastin. When this happens your skin can not renew itself quickly. The ordinary skin repair process slows down. Your elastin fibres become rigid and your skin loses some softness or elasticity.If you have been exposed to the suns ultraviolet rays very often, this breakdown in elasticity is more severe. That is why you see some people who have spent a great deal of time outdoors(and without sunscreen) with ‘tight’ skin.

   Although it is normal for your skin to thin with age, an increase in rigidity of the elastin may cause your skin to thicken in some areas. Again this is especially true in sun exposed skin.

   While your collagen is thickening, the elastin begins to thicken and also tangle. Again this is more noticeable in sun damaged skin. (Now you know why everyone advises using Sunscreen with a SPF of at least 30 every time you will be in sunlight.)

   The destruction and tangling of collagen and elastin leads to wrinkling. The greater the destruction, the greater the wrinkling.

1. As we grow older the rate at which old cells are sloughed off and replaced by newer cells begins to slow down. As a result older skin can appear a bit rougher than younger skin.There is an adage among those who ‘guess ages’ at amusement parks, that the backs of hands are the truest sign of a person’s age.

   EXPERIMENT:

   Look at the backs of your hands. Since this part of your skin has been exposed to sun and weather is ‘old skin’ and it looks like old skin. Now look at the skin on the inside of your wrists or the skin on your belly. This skin is has not been so exposed. It is less weathered and less ‘old looking’. Notice the differences and you understand the effects of ‘aging’ on your epidermis.

   If you had protected the back of your hands with gloves or other coverings so they only received as much exposure to sun, drying winds or rain as the insides of your wrists or the skin on your belly have received, the backs of your hands would not look weathered and old.

   And if you never used tobacco and were never exposed to tobacco smoke during your lifetime, the back of your hands would look less weathered, wrinkled and old than the skin of those who have been exposed to tobacco.

2. A second change to the epidermis that occurs in aging is that new cells coming to the epidermis area bit more irregular or uneven. Result? Older skin is not so smooth. It often develops small creases and wrinkles.
3. Epidermis aging produces another change. There is a decrease in the number of Melanocyters. Melanocyters decrease by about 10- 20% each decade. So by the time you are 75, you may have lost half the number of these important cells in your skin.If you recall Melanocyters are the cells that produce the melatonin that gives pigmentation or color to your skin. Each Meanocyter gives pigmentation to about 36 skin cells.

   As you age and have lost 40 or 50% of these cells, those that remain try to try to make up for the loss and they increase the amount of pigmentation that they produce. This makes for ‘darker’ areas on your skin. But there are areas of the skin that no longer have any Melanocyter cells. As a result there are areas where the pigmentation becomes lighter. This epidermis aging is the cause of the change in skin tone that makes for a rather blotchy appearance.

4. As you age there are also fewer Langerhans cells in your epidermis and so there is often an increase in the number of skin infections since the immune response is not triggered as quickly. Some believe that this decrease in Langerhans cells is the reason why skin cancer becomes more common with age.
5. Finally, this outer layer becomes a bit thinner. It still can protect the lower layers of skin and keep moisture in but there may be more frequent scrapes or skin breakage because of epidermis aging.

What can be done for epidermis aging. How can it appear younger?

First and foremost, if you smoke, try to  stop! It is not too late to stop smoking. And if you are subject to second hand smoke at home or work, speak up and ask the smokers to please not light up around you. Ask them to step outside or go into a special smoking room that you equip with an air filter.

Second, you want to protect all exposed skin with sun block. Use SPF 30 or higher. Make it part of your morning routine. Keep a containers of SPF 30 or higher in your car…in the office…in the kitchen, by the door. Do not go out without putting it on AND renew it several times during the day. This will less the damage that sun does to your outer layer of skin.

Third, exfoliate your skin on a regular basis to remove dead skin cells and smooth the appearance of epidermis aging. A loofah sponge or rough wash cloth is good for most of you body BUT NOT your face. The skin on your face is too delicate for a loofah. Some find that a dry wash cloth will do the job but there are many reputable exfoliates on the market.