Intrinsic & Extrinsic Aging: How to Prevent What We Can

Millions of dollars are spent each year on anti aging serum and beauty products. For many men and women, slowing the signs of aging is a vital part of their daily cleansing regimen. The signs of aging, often, are confusing. As a person who is interested in reducing the signs of aging, understanding both the intrinsic and extrinsic signs will be a key factor in determining what beauty and cleansing products are right for your skin and fight against the signs of aging.

In the aging process, there is a general biological path our bodies will pursue and, as a result, leave specific signs that the aging process is well underway. Known as intrinsic signs of aging, this biological path is methodical and generally does not vary from one individual to the next. Because our DNA will determine how and when we age, there is often little we can do to prevent this aging process from occurring.

The signs of this biological intrinsic aging process include, first, a decrease in the production of oil. As a result, our skin appears drier and, thus, wrinkles become more evident. Wrinkles are then compounded by the body's naturally loss of collagen and elastin which then leads to a breakdown in the facial support system, leading to an enlargement of pores. With aging, our facial blood vessels begin to deteriorate, leading to the onset of redness and inflammation which is often difficult to remedy.

To the intrinsic aging process, we also are affecting by the aging process known as extrinsic. In the extrinsic aging process, the environment, our diet and even our overall health is to blame for the change in our facial appearance and, thus, a quicker process of aging.

Extrinsic components of aging include the excessive exposure to the sun which results in the appearance of age spots and abnormal pigmentation, the increase in roughness of the facial skin due to the exposure to free radicals in the environment, excessive wrinkling, primarily due to not only sun exposure but also due to smoking and, finally, the sagging of the skin, again, due to sun exposure.