No Great Surprises in a Recent Study of Skin Aging

A recent study of skin aging brings no great surprises. The authors are focused on epigenetic changes that alter the rate of production of various proteins, and thus also alter the behavior and function of cells and tissues. People with younger-looking skin at a given chronological age also tend to have younger-looking patterns of gene expression, the process of generating proteins from their DNA blueprints. Aging is a global phenomenon, and progression of all of its aspects tend to correlate to some degree in any given individual. Among the more easily identified differences in the epigenetics of skin aging are those related to well-known processes of aging, such as cellular senescence. The contributions to aging can be separated into primary (or intrinsic) and secondary (or extrinsic) sources, though the dividing line is far from clear-cut. Primary aging happens regardless of choice, side-effects of the normal operation of cellular metabolism that result in the accumulation of waste and molecular damage. Secondary aging is avoidable: the consequences of line items such as excess fat tissue, smoking, and in the case of skin excessive exposure to sunlight, or photoaging. Both primary and secondary aging operate through overlapping mechanisms. That is well illustrated here, in that the researchers find more markers of cellular senescence in skin that is more frequently exposed to sunlight. One can hypothesize about radiation damage to cell structures in this context, bu...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Medicine, Biotech, Research Source Type: blogs