Understanding Intrinsic and Extrinsic Factors That Age Skin.

Understanding intrinsic and extrinsic factors. As we grow older, our skin grows older. For many people, the aging process is something that is barely understood. Anti aging products have flooded the market trying to convince consumers that they need to apply this cream, eat this food, or take this supplement in order to stop the skin aging process. At the heart of anti aging is education about the causes of skin aging over time.

There are two factor sets that cause skin aging. These sets are intrinsic and extrinsic aging factors. Intrinsic skin aging can be directly related to the “internal” processes that cause the skin to age. These processes are often referred to as the natural aging process. Extrinsic skin aging, on the other hand, includes the factors that can be controlled by a person in relation to aging and anti aging methods. Extrinsic skin aging refers to the external factors attributing the aging process.

Intrinsic skin aging occurs naturally over time. While the aging process, for skin, begins in the early 20's, the visible evidence of such aging is not clear until much later in life. The symptoms of intrinsic skin aging include fine lines, thin skin, hollowed cheeks, hollowed eyes, sagging facial skin, dry patches or areas on the face, hair loss and unwanted hair of the face.

Extrinsic skin aging begins immediately after birth. The elements surrounding the skin effect its growth and the aging process starts from the time a baby is born. External or environmental factors associated with aging skin include sun exposure, moisturization, diet, smoking, drinking, drug use and air pollution.

In order to combat the effects of skin aging, anti aging products often center on working from the outside of the skin in. But, working from the inside out on the extrinsic skin aging process may be just as helpful if not more helpful for slowing the overall aging process. For adults, eating a well balanced diet, consuming 6-8 glasses of water a day, wearing sunscreen and refraining from the use or overuse of drugs, alcohol and cigarettes is a step in the anti aging direction.

For intrinsic aging, anti aging methods can be bit more advanced. Skin aging will occur no matter how well and fit your body and skin remains. To combat the inevitable, cosmetic surgery can be completed to life the sagging skin of the face, replace fat where sagging and hollowing of the skin is occurring and smoothing out the fine lines of the face with fat and other anti aging injections.

Life will inevitably cause us to grow older with time. Fighting the aging process with anti aging products is certainly one way to better the look and feel of skin as a reactionary course. The best methods, however, are preventative methods that start early in life and last an entire lifetime. Teaching children to wear sunscreen when going outside and to moisturize skin can be the best anti aging skin choice for generations to come and is certainly not a bad choice for those who are already well into the aging process.