I’m turning 40 this year, and I’m noticing that the nicks and cuts I’m used to getting which have always healed really quickly are leaving more scars and lasting longer than they have in the past. Im outdoors active, and accrue more than a few cuts often on my lower legs. Is this a natural part of growing old, which is in line with my observations of my parents’ skin as well, or am I not caring for my skin well?
In: Biology
It isn’t only the external skin that gets stiffer – the stiffness of the aorta is a greater predictor/risk-factor for death than age, due to the impact that blood pressure has on vascular system damage levels, and consequently nutritional distribution.
**Sugar** creates cross-linking – stinking proteins together, to make everything less elastic. **Bacon**, or otherwise the burnt sugared **browning** on meat, creates advanced glycation end (AGE) particles – which get stuck between cells, effectively speckling you with gravel. So people that eat browning become browner/harder themselves.
Repairing DNA damage from sunburn will consume a lot of body resources, and generally leads to aging – disrupting things like skin moisture levels, for example.
If you are curious about Longevity, check out the [subreddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/longevity/).
Completely anecdotal, but last year I noticed I was accumulating injuries faster than they were healing(moving is a bitch) and that improved when I started eating more gelatin (real jello) and taking a biotin supplement. This spring I started taking them again when I noticed the same thing happening and it seems to be working.
You can get biotin gummies labeled as hair, skin & nails or sometimes just a “beauty”
The turn over rate of cells is slower, there is less collagen and fat also.
The older you get the more fragile the skin becomes especially if you are a smoker, have alot if sun exposure and genetics.
When I worked in nursing homes and did home health care ; some very elderly residents/clients had skin so thin it would rip just by “sticking” to a surface since their sweat glands dont function normally.
There are many factors as to why our skin changes as we age.
You might want to test your hormones. Testosterone deficit (below 400 ng/dl or so) and hypothyroidism (TSH > 3.5), measured soon after your normal wake-up time, can both cause this.
I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism last year, and upon starting medication, several symptoms I had previously thought were due to aging just disappeared.
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