What Is Intrinsic Aging? The Changes Happening Beneath Your Skin

Aging happens to all of us, but not in the same way. While we talk a lot about how the sun and pollution age our skin, there's another aging process happening quietly inside our bodies called intrinsic aging.

The first time I spotted a tiny line by my eye, I was surprised. I had been using sunscreen every day and good skincare products for years. So why was this happening? I later found out about intrinsic aging - it's in our DNA and causes fine lines, thinner skin, and less bounce, even when we take great care of our skin.

So what's actually going on under our skin? Let me share what I've learned about intrinsic aging from SkinBB and how you can age beautifully.

What Exactly Is Intrinsic Aging?

Intrinsic aging is simply the natural way your skin ages from the inside. It's controlled by your body's own clock and mostly comes from your genes and what happens inside your body, not from outside stuff like sunshine or city smoke (that's called Extrinsic Aging).

This intrinsic aging usually begins when we hit our mid-20s as our skin starts making less collagen, but you might not see fine lines and wrinkles or lines for years. Intrinsic aging is like your body's own rhythm slowing down over time, and it's different for everyone - kind of like how we all have our own unique life stories.

Why Does Intrinsic Aging Happen?

Intrinsic aging happens because of natural changes in your body:

• Hormone Changes: As we age, hormones like estrogen and cortisol change, making our skin thinner and less stretchy. These changes are a big part of intrinsic aging.

• Tired Cells: With intrinsic aging, skin cells start to act like tired workers - they stop fixing things, which causes more skin problems and slower healing.

• Slower Skin Renewal: During intrinsic aging, skin takes longer to make new cells, so your face looks duller and cuts heal more slowly.

• Less Skin-Firming Proteins: The things that keep your skin firm (collagen and elastin) drop as intrinsic aging moves forward, causing saggy skin and wrinkles.

• Drier Skin: Your skin gets worse at holding onto water during intrinsic aging, making it dry and more easily irritated.

What You'll Notice with Intrinsic Aging?

You'll see these natural signs as intrinsic aging happens:

• Thinner Skin: Your skin gets more delicate and you might see veins more easily.

• Lines and Wrinkles: These show up especially around your eyes and mouth as skin loses its stretch.

• Droopy Areas: Parts of your face might sag as skin loses its firmness.

• Dry, Dull Look: Your skin makes less oil, so it doesn't glow like before.

• Patchy Color: You might get dark or light spots as new skin cells come in more slowly.

How to Help Your Skin Through Intrinsic Aging?

While we can't stop intrinsic aging completely, we can do things to keep our skin looking good:

• Live Well: Eat healthy food, drink plenty of water, move your body, and sleep enough - all these things help fight intrinsic aging.

• Handle Stress: Too much stress makes more cortisol in your body, which speeds up intrinsic aging. Try doing yoga, quiet sitting, or deep breathing.

Good Skincare Ingredients to Look For:

To help with intrinsic aging, check for these ingredients in your skincare:

• Retinoids: Things like retinol peels help your skin make new cells faster, fighting intrinsic aging deep down.

• Gentle Retinol Alternatives: If retinol is too harsh, try bakuchiol or algae extracts - they work similarly but are kinder to sensitive skin dealing with intrinsic aging.

• Peptides: These protein pieces like copper peptide help your skin make more collagen, making it firmer and fighting intrinsic aging.

• Antioxidants: Vitamin C and others fight damage in your skin and brighten your face, slowing down how intrinsic aging looks.

• Moisture Helpers: Hyaluronic acid and similar ingredients keep your skin plump and full of water, which gets harder with intrinsic aging.

Want to know what's in your products? Use SkinBB Label Looker to quickly scan and understand what's in your skincare!

Using the right products really can make your skin look better as intrinsic aging happens.

Professional Skin Treatments You Might Try:

Sometimes creams and serums aren't enough when dealing with intrinsic aging. That's when skin treatments at a doctor's office can really help. These work great alongside your daily skincare:

• Microneedling: Microneedling treatment uses tiny needles to make your skin create more collagen and elastin, making your face smoother and fighting intrinsic aging deep down.

• Botox: This works well for the lines and wrinkles that come with intrinsic aging by relaxing your face muscles.

• Fillers: These injections fill in the deeper lines from intrinsic aging and add fullness back to your face, making you look younger.

• Collagen Treatments: These help your skin make more of its own collagen for longer-lasting firmness, pushing back against intrinsic aging.

• Skin Polishing: This removes the top layer of dead skin cells, brightening your face even while intrinsic aging continues.

Talk to a skin doctor at SkinBB Community before trying these. They can look at how intrinsic aging is affecting your unique skin and suggest what might work best for you.

Conclusion:

Intrinsic aging happens to everyone - it's just part of life's journey and shows all the amazing things happening inside our bodies. While we can't make it stop, knowing about it and taking good care of our skin helps us age beautifully.

I'll never forget what my grandma told me about her wrinkles. She said they were just "life signing its name on her face." I loved that way of thinking about intrinsic aging. With what you now know and the right skin care, you can face your own aging story with confidence and keep glowing.