There’s a couple of problems we face as we get older. Our bodies slow down, there’s more aches and pains, and our skin is more prone to certain conditions as we get older. Some of these include:

  • Wrinkles: Wrinkles are the most visible sign of aging skin. They follow chronic sun exposure and form when the skin loses its flexibility. Smokers tend to have more wrinkles than nonsmokers.
  • Facial movement lines: These lines (often known as “laugh lines” and “worry lines”) become more visible as the skin loses its elasticity (in your 40’s or 50’s). The lines may be horizontal on the forehead, vertical above the nose, or curved on the temples, upper cheeks, and around the mouth and eyes.
  • Dry and itching skin: Dry, flaking skin is a common problem among adults, especially the elderly. The loss of oil glands (which help to keep the skin soft) is the main cause of dry skin. Rarely, dry, itchy skin may be a sign of diabetes, kidney disease, or liver disease.
  • Skin cancer: Sun exposure (UV radiation) is the most common cause of pre-cancers and skin cancer, either basal cell carcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma. Many Americans (a million each year) will develop a skin cancer by age 65.
  • Age spots: “Age spots” are brown patches that appear on sun-exposed parts of the body (face, hands, and forearms), usually during the adult years.
  • Bedsores: Bedsores (also known as pressure ulcers) are skin ulcers that develop from pressure when people lie in bed or sit in a chair for long periods of time. Bedsores are a fairly common problem in elderly people who have difficulty moving on their own. People with diabetes are more prone to bedsores because of their poor circulation and decreased feeling in their skin. Frequent rotation or re-positioning helps to prevent bedsores.