Читать книгу The Face Lift Massage: Rejuvenate Your Skin and Reduce Fine Lines and Wrinkles - Narendra Mehta - Страница 17

As we have already said, the dermis is mainly comprised of connective tissue so, to understand what happens to our skin as we get older, we need to look at this complex material in more detail. Connective tissue gives protection and support and is the most widely distributed material in the body. Under a microscope, the connective tissue of the dermis looks like a loose tangle of fibers. The main fibers are made up of the structural protein collagen and have great strength and suppleness. Collagen is the most abundant protein in the body and makes up about 70 percent of connective tissue. Collagen fibers are very tough and highly resistant to pulling forces although they do allow plenty of flexibility in the tissue.

Mixed up with the bundles of collagen fibers are thinner, more elastic fibers formed from a protein called elastin that increases the strength and flexibility of the connective tissue. Elastin fibers are smaller than collagen fibers and make up 5 percent of the dermis. They can be stretched by up to 150 percent of their relaxed length without breaking, which allows people to put on weight or expand during pregnancy without their skin tearing. Together, the two types of fibers give structure and suppleness to the skin, keeping the flesh smooth and taut.

Collagen and elastin bundles run in specific directions in different parts of the body. To discover the direction, pinch an area of skin and see which way it folds most easily into wrinkles. After a certain age, no pinching may be necessary as the wrinkles remain. A cut in the skin that separates parallel bundles of collagen fibers without damaging them heals with a fine line. But any injury that damages the fiber bundles forms a broad scar.

Although skin ages at a constant rate, the most noticeable effects occur from the late forties onwards. There are several reasons for this. When we are young the collagen and elastin fibers have tremendous strength and flexibility, but this gradually decreases. Over time, the fibroblast cells that produce collagen and elastin start to decline, so reducing the number of fibers present. Those fibers that are left may break apart while others can develop cross-links that bind them and lock them into place to form a shapeless matted tangle. This blocks the flow of fluid through the dermis, reducing its suppleness and preventing the fibers stretching and moving so freely with the muscles of the face.

Elastin fibers normally spring back into place when they’ve been stretched, which maintains skin tone. But with age they lose some of their elasticity, thicken into clumps, and become frayed. Once these fibers have hardened and shrunk, the skin tends to sag. Years of muscle action such as smiling and frowning can become imprinted on the skin as creases and wrinkles, especially on the forehead and around the eyes and mouth.

Another cause of skin aging on the face is a stiffening of the gelatin-like ground substance. The chains of protein molecules that make up this material get bound together, further reducing the skin’s suppleness. As if that wasn’t enough, the connective tissue of the dermis can glue the skin to the tissues surrounding the muscles and bones. This makes the face look drawn in, tight, and pinched. Other effects also occur over time. The layer of fat just below the surface of the skin gets thinner, underlying muscles start to shrink, and the water content of the skin declines, giving the rather loose and dry texture of aging skin. In addition, dead skin cells may not be replaced so uniformly when they are shed, giving an uneven appearance to the outer skin.

These age-related changes can’t be prevented indefinitely. But there is much you can do to resist them. Facial exercises and massage (Chapters 4 & 5), coupled with a good skin care regime (Chapter 6), and sun protection (Chapter 8), help to keep the skin fibers supple for longer. A healthy diet (Chapter 7) ensures that the dermis gets all the nutrients it needs to build new fibers.

Underlying factors

Age-related changes to the skin are triggered by several factors including excessive sun exposure; a build-up of harmful atoms called free radicals; poor diet, such as excess sugar consumption; and, in women in later life, a fall in the level of the hormone oestrogen.

Sun exposure: Ultraviolet rays penetrate deep into the skin, drying the tissues and weakening the fibers, so accelerating their disintegration.

Free radicals: These are unstable and highly destructive atoms. They are a by-product of the normal chemical reactions in the cells that release energy and are also produced by smoking, sunbathing, fried foods, and industrial and traffic pollution. Although short-lived, free radicals destabilize the molecules around them, causing damage to living cells, especially in the skin, and leading to premature aging.

Excess sugar: This leads to sudden, steep rises in blood glucose levels that can disrupt glucose regulation systems. The excess glucose binds to proteins, in a process known as protein glycation, causing irreversible structural changes to the skin, such as the cross-linking of collagen fibers and other connective tissue damage associated with aging. Protein glycation is a major problem for diabetics, but also occurs in non-diabetics, underlining the importance of a healthy diet.

Oestrogen: In women, the disintegration of the skin fibers is accelerated in later life by a decline in oestrogen. Collagen in the skin can fall by 30 percent during the first 10 years after menopause.