What Causes Aging Skin (and what you can do about it)

Aging skin affects us all (whether we like it or not) but you can fight back.

Here’s a question for you: if your skin’s in a constant state of renewal, why should age affect it at all? If you’re exfoliating (getting rid of old, dead skin cells) properly, then the fresh new skin beneath should always shine through.

Shouldn’t it?

The answer’s more complex than the question because your skin’s not just a collection of uniform cells. You probably already know that skin’s composed of many layers divided into three main sections: the epidermis, dermis, and hypodermis, from the outside in. Each layer serves a different function and each needs fuel – vitamins, nutrients, and essential fatty acids – to be able to keep up the renewal process.

A quick note about collagen Collagen’s a protein produced in the hypodermis. It’s what gives young skin its firm, smooth structure and texture but its production slows by a good 10% per decade.

Estrogen

Estrogen plays several roles in preserving your skin’s healthy, youthful glow (yes guys, you too). Aside from short-term fluctuations, which can also have a noticeable effect on your skin’s apparent age, your estrogen levels naturally decrease as you get older. Now, we’re not saying you should go out and get hormone therapy just to help your aging skin stay young (in fact you probably shouldn’t), but now that you know its role you can target your skincare routine accordingly to minimize the symptoms.

How much is too much? As long as you’re gentle (IE, don’t scrape yourself raw), all exfoliation is good exfoliation. The more the merrier, we say – out with the old, and let that new skin shine like it should!

Exfoliation

By the time you hit your thirties, environmental damage has started to accumulate. Sun exposure, pollutants, the elements themselves… it’s pretty much unavoidable even if you stay away from things like smog and tobacco smoke. With proper exfoliation, you can mitigate a lot of that damage before it accumulates, but there are other factors at play – internal ones.

pH – what’s the difference? Skin should be slightly acidic, at around 5.5. It gets dry and fragile when it’s too alkaline and prone to breakouts when it’s too acidic. Lots of products (and diets) can throw off your skin’s pH – and in your thirties your ability to auto-regulate it starts to decrease.

Elastin

Thirty-ish is about the time most people’s bodies start slowing down a little. Elastin, the stretchy protein that keeps skin tight and prevents bags n’ sags, begins to take a marked drop. Now, it might not be especially noticeable yet, but providing the right blends of nutrients now can help delay this drop for many years to come by encouraging natural elastin production. BTW – elastin’s why young kids don’t have crows’ feet or smile lines. It helps skin snap back into shape after repeated muscle movements like smiling.

Time always takes its toll… …but you can slow it down. Well, not literally. But with proper nutrition both eaten and topically applied, you can help your skin’s systems stay balanced, promoting production of elastin, collagen, and subcutaneous fat while reducing its susceptibility to damage and restoring both even tone & texture. Remember: nutrition is everything! Eat well and choose a nutrition-focused skincare system & routine.

Entering middle-age

Flash forward ten more years to your forties, and your skin starts taking hits from all sides. Well, except (hopefully!) the outside. Your body continues to change with your skin bearing the most visible signs of aging. Of course, we’re usually a little chubbier by now too… but it’s your aging skin that really tells the tale. Your subcutaneous fat (the cells responsible for transporting nutrients to the deeper layers of your skin) begin to decrease in number and efficiency, causing general thinning of skin’s outer layers due to lost efficiency in the renewal process.  You start to see more wrinkles, damage from things like cuts and scrapes doesn’t repair as quickly or flawlessly as it used to, and your aging skin can start to look almost translucent instead of vibrant and full.

Eventually…

Short of invasive, painful surgeries and weird, potentially-dangerous injections, there’s not much anyone can do as time marches on. Yes, with the right skincare system you can mitigate a whole lot of the visible signs of aging. But not all of them – be wary of claims to the contrary. They’re not just misleading; they could even be counterproductive. Many products can throw off your skin’s pH balance, and others don’t use an ideal blend of carrier oils and water – that means the nutrients they contain won’t penetrate deeply enough to make good on their promises. Skincare isn’t “a product”, anyway – it’s a system. A routine. And, alas, there is no magic potion.

Expectations

By now you probably know what we’re going to say, but it bears repeating: although some can be extremely effective in both reducing and preventing the dreaded signs of aging, nothing lasts forever and no skincare product is magic. You need to manage your expectations and always make sure you look for a complete skincare system that gently exfoliates, maintains the right pH, and effectively delivers nutrients deep into your skin where they can actually do the jobs you’re applying them for. Do that, and you’ll be amazed how successful skincare can be.

Efficacy

METRIN’s formula has remained unchanged for over 85 years (because it genuinely works and always has). Some of our very first clients are still with us today – plus their kids and grandkids – and they certainly don’t look their age.

You will see results from METRIN. We promise. And if you decide it’s not right for you? Then it’s all free, no questions asked, even if you’ve used every drop of product. Give it six months and you’ll never look back.

Expertise

METRIN’s more than a skincare system – we’ll be right there with you, every step of the way, helping you feel comfortable in your own skin. Need an answer? Our team’s always happy to help. Don’t hesitate!