Skin Care Tips for Seniors

One of the most visible indications of age is the toll it takes on the largest organ in the human body, our skin. When we’re young, our skin is smooth, tight, and glowing. As we get older, no matter how good we take care of it, skin will lose it’s smoothness, become thinner, less elastic, less hydrated, and lines, spots, and other blemishes can appear.

Good skin care, for older adults, is not just about vanity and your outward appearance. Skin can reflect how we feel and can display your health, good or bad. Your skin is a large part of the interconnected system of organs that holistically make up your entire body. Oftentimes it’s our primary line of defense from the world around us, which is on its own a good reason to look after it.

Skin is the protective outer layer that senses and signals conditions of hot, cold, pleasure, pressure, pain, and more. It aids in regulating electrolyte and fluid balance and controlling body temperature with sweat or constricting. The three primary layers of skin are the epidermis, the outer layer composed of cells, pigments and proteins, the dermis, where the nerves, oil glands, hair follicles and blood vessels lie, and the subcutaneous layer, where you can find sweat glands, fat deposits, and more hair follicles and blood vessels.

Some amount of skin changes are normal to the aging process, and can be contributed to a number of factors, including

• Allergies
• Environmental conditions
• Genetics
• Nutrition
• Sun exposure
• Smoking

Of these, sun exposure and smoking are the two most harmful to skin. With the changes brought about by the aging process, there are several skin conditions and dangers to watch out for.

• Sun damage: If you spent a significant amount of time in your life outside, you may notice that the skin that was usually covered has a more even skin tone and is more supple than the skin you frequently left exposed to the sun. Collagen and elastin fibers are what make skin flexible and resilient, and production of these fibers declines with age. Sun exposure can accelerate the loss of these fibers and make skin appear tougher, drier, and more weathered. While the damage caused by sun exposure can’t be reversed, using sunscreen and refraining from tanning can prevent further damage.
• Slow wound healing and bruising: Older skin is thinner and more fragile, with smaller blood vessels and less of a protective layer of fat. This can lead to more skin injuries. And for older adults, wounds can take as much as four times as long to heal. Bruising can also occur more frequently, and present as more pronounced and larger patches. Bruising and skin injuries can be prevented by padding sharp furniture corners, and using gentle cleaning products to avoid tearing thin, delicate skin.
• Dry, itchy skin: Rough, itchy, and scaly skin can be caused by many things, such as dry air, reduced sweating, frequent hot showers or baths, inadequate hydration, and more. Using a moisturizing product daily or as needed, using warm instead of hot water, and investing in a humidifier can help keep skin hydrated.