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Introduction to skin aging
Tobin, Desmond J.
Tobin, Desmond J.
Publication Date
2017-02
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© 2017 Tissue Viability Society. Full-text reproduced in accordance with
the publisher's self-archiving policy.
This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Peer-Reviewed
Yes
Open Access status
openAccess
Accepted for publication
03/03/2016
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Abstract
Cutaneous science has seen considerable development in the last 25 years, in part due to the
-Omics revolution, and the appreciation that this organ is hardwired into the body’s key neuroimmuno-
endocrine axes. Moreover, there is greater appreciation of how stratification of skin
disorders will permit more targeted and more effective treatments. Against this has been how
the remarkable extension in the average human life-span, though in the West at least, this
parallels worrying increases in lifestyle-associated conditions like diabetes, skin cancer etc. These
demographic trends bring greater urgency to finding clinical solutions for numerous age-related
deficits in skin function caused by extrinsic and intrinsic factors. Mechanisms for aging skin
include the actions of reactive oxygen species (ROS), mtDNA mutations, and telomere
shortening, as well as hormonal changes.
We have also significantly improved our understanding of how to harness the skin’s considerable
regenerative capacity e.g., via its remarkable investment of stem cell subpopulations. In this way we
hope to develop new strategies to selectively target the skin’s capacity to undergo optimal wound
repair and regeneration. Here, the unsung hero of the skin regenerative power may be the humble
hair follicle, replete with its compliment of epithelial, mesenchymal, neural and other stem cells. This
review introduces the topic of human skin aging, with a focus on how maintenance of function in
this complex multi-cell type organ is key for retaining quality of life into old age.
Version
Accepted manuscript
Citation
Tobin DJ (2017) Introduction to skin aging. Journal of tissue viability. 26(1): 37-46.
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Article