Structural characteristics of the aging skin: a review.

As life expectancy in industrialized countries increases, appropriate care of elderly skin looms as a dermatologic priority. Skin aging is a complex, multifactorial process whose baseline rate is genetically determined but that may be accelerated by environmental, mechanical, or socioeconomic factors. The intrinsic structural changes that occur with the aging of the skin increase skin fragility, decrease the ability of the skin to heal, increase risk for toxicological injuries, promote the development of various cutaneous disorders, and produce aesthetically undesirable effects like wrinkling and uneven pigmentation. As aged patients represent a larger segment of the population, increased attention to the problems of the aged skin, both cosmetic and beyond, will be necessary and should build on currently successful interventions to improve their quality of life.