When does your beauty start to fade?
We’ve all experienced it: Feeling youthful one day, looking tired the next. Are you just exhausted, or is your physical beauty starting to diminish?
We’ve all experienced it: Feeling youthful one day, looking tired the next. Are you just exhausted, or is your physical beauty starting to diminish?
They say that humans want to live longer, but are hesitant to look older. And it’s true, as most people, if not all, do not want the physical manifestations of growing old—less immunity to sickness, tiring easily, body pains here and there, and of course, the changes in their physical appearance. According to science, most cultures and races perceive youthfulness as healthier and more desirable over older and aging skin. This is why we are always racing against time, trying to reverse aging with lasers and surgical treatments, finding quick fixes in fillers, and delaying the onset of wrinkles with preventive creams and other products. In fact, scientists throughout the years have been on the quest for answers we all want to know: What causes aging? Why do some people age faster than others? And is there an exact age when youthfulness fades away?
What causes aging?
To this day, no one knows why biological processes have to end or, simply, we have to age and die. This is why there have been hundreds of theories on the cause of aging, which has been studied decades ago. There are two major theories: genetics that says heredity or the aging pattern of past generations determines when and how the individual ages; and molecular damage that argues that continuous exposure to free radicals brought about by radiation, toxins, pollution, chemicals, and such is what determines cell deterioration and eventual damage to the DNA over time that leads to aging and death. Now, studies have also mentioned that neither theory must be preferred; rather, both must complement each other as genetics do play a role on how the DNA copes, fights, and wards off damage while at the same time, the presence of antioxidants can help protect the DNA from further oxidative stress.
Why do some people age faster than others?
Ethnicity and cultural background play a role in aging as facial structure and elasticity, and how it changes over time, varies among Caucasians (those with European, North African, and Southwest Asian descent), Asians, Hispanic (those with Latin American roots), and African-American (those with African, Afro-Carribean, and Native American origin). Studies have shown that lighter-skinned people, such as the Caucasians, are more prone to developing signs of aging earlier due to less melanin that may offer less protection from the photo-aging effects of sun exposure and skin cancers. Moreover, Asians and dark-skinned people have also been found to have thicker dermis (the layer under the epidermis where the collagen and elastin are found, which are responsible for the skin’s elasticity and aids in cell regeneration). This is why the incidence of fine lines and wrinkles may appear later on (10 years or more) than Caucasians. While Caucasians have an earlier onset of lines, Asians have been found to have more pigmentation prob- lems. Ethnicity does play a role in how and when a person ages, but the same study also verifies that skin care started at an early age shows less photo-aging and pigmentation later on, regardless of ethnicity.
Is there really an exact age when we start to see the signs of aging?
According to a group of Japanese researchers from Fukui University and Japanese prestige beauty brand SK-II, aging does have a number, and that is 35.09 years old. This is the age, their study says, when you wake up in the morning and suddenly notice aging signs in your outward appearance, also called the “tipping point”: your eyebags may look deeper and darker, your skin may have started to sag in some areas, you notice lines you haven’t seen before, and your facial profile starts to get out of shape. Unlike previous notions that aging happens gradually, the study says that constant stressors such as sun exposure, physical stress and sickness, and pollution can make the skin reach a point when it can no longer hold and protect its barriers and finally gives in to skin cell deterioration, and that is when the exact age is revealed.
If aging is inevitable, what should we do? It’s true that both genetics and molecular damage cause one to age, and how rapidly or slowly they do will depend on what steps you take to keep yourself healthy. Our cultural and racial backgrounds also play a role in aging, as the skin’s structure varies across ethnicities. While it has been mentioned that external factors such as constant exposure to the sun, pollutants, chemicals, and toxins, including those we consume, can directly affect our health and how we age, there are the things we can do on a daily basis to protect our DNA and possibly delay the onset of aging. It is important to love your body starting today, every day. Keep yourself healthy and your skin in top shape by loading up on antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables, exercising regularly, protecting yourself from the sun, and having a good skin regimen. Moreover, many innovative technologies are now available to delay and reverse some signs of aging and most of these are non-invasive, no surgery involved. These are the ways that will definitely reap huge benefits in the future, regardless of your age. Looking older may be inevitable, but aging beautifully is up to you.
This is the age, their study says, when you wake up in the morning and suddenly notice aging signs in your outward appearance, also called the ‘tipping point:’ your eyebags may look deeper and darker, your skin may have started to sag in some areas, you notice lines you haven’t seen before, and your facial profile starts to get out of shape.