YOUR GENES ARE JUST HALF THE STORY!

In Aging

The Pond’s Institute discovered that while genes determine how you will age naturally, that’s only half the story. Up to 50% of the aging process can be attributed to the environment. With this knowledge, our skin experts and specialists have conducted years of genomics research to understand the secret to younger looking skin.

Genes play an important role in causing the natural aging process.

Natural aging in the skin

Stem Cells and the lower productivity in the “Factories of Youth”

Stem cells are our “Factories of Youth”. They produce younger skin cells in the cell renewal process until we reach the peak of our youth, after which they begin to slow down.

Our body’s stem cells affect our skin. Every skin cell has a definite life span after which it becomes a dead cell. If these dead skin cells are not replaced with younger cells in the cell renewal process, the skin becomes dull from the inside, losing its youthful look on the outside.

Genes determine when our cell renewal process slows down, causing the signs of aging to appear.

This renewal process is imprinted in our DNA and determines how long we might live and how our aging process will be. It affects the outer appearance of our skin and how it acts.

Decelerating cell renewal process in the cells

As the cell renewal process slows down, damage accumulates within the epidermis and the skin barrier begins to thin and weaken making the epidermis prone to irritation and dryness.

The second skin layer, the dermis, whose support matrix is made up of collagen and elastin. However, with the passage of time, less collagen is produced causing the dermis structure to collapse.

So, when skin loses strength in its internal support structure, it weakens from the inside causing fine lines, wrinkles, sagging and overall thinning of the skin to appear on the outside. As oil production is also reduced, the skin may also appear dry and rough.

While some causes are attributable to the natural aging process, we do have power over the other environmental factors that can speed up our overall aging process.

Around 50% of aging is attributed to genes but environmental factors also play a significant role.

Some of these factors are:

Sun damage

Photo aging — from the sun or tanning beds.

Repeated skin contouring

Facial expressions such as frowns and skin folding when you sleep can cause premature wrinkles.

Unhealthy diet

Not eating healthily can make you look nearly 2 years older.

Higher Body Mass Index (BMI)

Being overweight increases the occurrence of sagging eyelids and wrinkles around the eyes.

Dehydration

Dry environments, such as air conditioning or central heating, dries out the skin and makes it harder for the cells renewal process to function at optimum levels.

Skipping skin care products

Not using skin care products can make you look around 2 years older.

Pollution

To counter the damage caused by skin irritants due to pollution, our cells produce antioxidants and excess melanin that develop into dark spots. With so many pollutants in the air irritating our skin daily, our melanin production goes into overdrive, causing age spots to form deep within the skin.

Smoking

Smoking causes pollutants to enter the skin destroying the elastin fibers within the dermis leading to fine lines and wrinkles.

You have the power to stop environmental factors aging your skin prematurely. For more information about the aging process read our article about what happens inside the skin as we age.