Environmental impacts on skin genomics: molecular mechanisms of photoaging and protective strategies

Skin, as the body’s primary environmental interface, is continuously exposed to various environmental stressors that significantly impact its genomic integrity and accelerate aging processes. This mini review summarizes current knowledge of the molecular mechanisms behind environmentally induced skin aging, focusing especially on how ultraviolet radiation affects skin genomics. Recent research (2010–2025) has revealed breakthrough findings in the “skin exposome” concept, demonstrating that UV radiation creates characteristic signature mutations with distinct T>C transitions alongside the canonical C>T transitions and activates complex molecular pathways leading to photoaging. Beyond UV radiation, air pollution and lifestyle factors contribute to skin aging through overlapping yet distinct molecular mechanisms, with emerging evidence highlighting significant synergistic effects. Recent clinical studies demonstrate that epigenetic modifications, particularly DNA methylation alterations, mediate long-term environmental impacts on skin and represent potentially reversible targets for intervention. This review critically examines genome-driven protective strategies, including antioxidant interventions targeting the Nrf2/ARE pathway and personalized approaches based on genetic susceptibility while analyzing the practical barriers to their implementation.