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/).
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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