Understanding Premature Skin Aging

Dermatologists see many patients seeking help because of skin aging. Sagging and wrinkling of the skin can be the signs of time spent on the beach in younger years or on the golf course in middle years or just a visible reminder of the inescapable aging process. The problems associated with skin aging range from minor cosmetic problems to major disfigurement with profound psychosocial consequences.Cutaneous aging is a complex biologic process affecting various layers of the skin, but the major changes are seen in the dermis.1 There are two clinically and biologically independent aging processes that occur simultaneously. The . . .