The quick answer: Your skin can’t stay young forever—time will have its way. But there’s no hurry to get old either.
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The Last Reunion
I recently escorted the beautiful wife to her 50th high school reunion. She had been the senior class treasurer, winning with the unbeatable slogan: “Don’t be square. Vote for Clare”. There was a memorial of yearbook photos of those who had died—a surprising number. Those who attended looked pretty good—but people whose life has gone poorly don’t attend reunions, do they? These smiling faces were life’s survivors. There was a ritual to meeting one from so long ago: first they would look at each other’s face, wondering if they had been friends; then they would check the name badge, but still not be sure; finally, one would begin to speak and the old personality would emerge, not so much changed by the years, and they would laugh and hug each other. You couldn’t watch without smiling.
The outward signs of aging intrigued me. From a distance the stooped posture caused by osteoporosis was the first sign. For the guys, the ability to grow hair was the next tip. Close up, the evidence was right there in the face. The healthiest had just a few lines around the eyes, but others had the deep grooves and pale sagging skin that comes with years of wrong living. If you never write a memoir, leave a picture—the face will tell your story. The beautiful wife, I should note, looked radiant. On the way home she was pensive, sad for those who had died, yes, but more for those whose dreams had died. All in all, glad to have come, but ready to call it the last reunion.
Skin
Your skin is not just your largest organ, weighing around 8 lbs., it provides all these functions, and more:
- Protects against the bangs and bumps of life,
- Is a barrier against invading pathogens,
- Insulates (with the help of a fat layer) against the cold,
- Keeps moisture in, but sweats a little out when you need cooling,
- Is self-renewing; the outermost cell layer changes monthly,
- Changes color, by producing melanin, to protect against summer sun,
- Acts as a solar battery, receiving radiant energy from the sun to make vitamin D and other products.
Extrinsic Choices
Skin health reflects two forms of aging: intrinsic, fixed by our birth heritage, and extrinsic, the result of lifestyle choices. There’s a cycle at work: health typically peaks in our late 20s and then begins the inevitable decline. Because few work on their health before 30, our focus is to slow the decline after we’ve peaked.
Skin ages as collagen (the main protein in our connective tissue; the source of gelatin when you make stock) output slows, and elastin (the elastic, fibrous glycoprotein in connective tissue) degenerates with time. In this way the skin grows thinner and loses its youthful color, wrinkles form and deepen, and gravity has its inevitable way.
Shakespeare made a word picture of this process when he observed how, “rosy lips and cheeks within [Time’s] bending sickle’s compass come . . . .” But it’s not necessarily bad; Shakespeare was praising the love that grows with time. A new form of beauty is found in the weathered face of those who've lived well—when comeliness matures into character. The pictures above are of my Father; they're bookends, taken at the edges of his manhood. Handsome in the beginning; at the end his face oozed character. And those wrinkles—they’re packed with wisdom.
Slowing Time’s sickle
Still, despite the benefits of old age, there’s no need to rush. The aging of skin is hurried along by excess sun exposure, the use of alcohol or tobacco, overuse of harsh soaps, the modern diet of processed foods, lack of exercise, excessive stress, and too little sleep. Here are ways to slow down Father Time:
- No toxins: Avoid the use of tobacco, and don’t drink alcohol. In different ways, they’re both bad for your skin. Ditto for trans fats.
- Exercise: Aerobic exercise increases the flow of oxygen and nutrients, while stretching exercises tone the peripheral muscles.
- Reduce stress: We talked about managing excessive stress here. Happiness is the antidote to stress. A smile lifts the muscles of your face; laugh away your cares.
- Get adequate sleep: Discussed here.
- Eat a varied diet of whole foods: The key here is to eat natural foods rich in vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants. Include sources of omega-3 fat as discussed here.
Yes, I know, I didn’t mention avoiding sunshine, or the use of sunscreens. It’s critical to avoid sunburns as well as excessive unprotected exposure. But as noted here and here, we also need natural vitamin D and full spectrum light.
Healthy Change: I had a backpacking buddy when I was a bit younger; a person I admired, so comfortable in his own skin. I have great memories of our ascents on Sierra peaks. But he was taken from us too soon, by melanoma cancer. So this Healthy Change is dedicated to his memory:
Please comment. Got a secret lotion? Share what works for you to protect your skin.
Need a reminder? Download our Healthy Change reminder card. Print and fold, then place in your kitchen or on your bathroom mirror to help you remember the Healthy Change of the week.