Yet it's hard to avoid looking old if we allow the environment, negligent care and poor lifestyle to have their way. The skin is an amazing paper-thin shield but it undergoes many changes with age.
Skin is composed of three layers.
The epidermis, or outer layer, consists mostly of dead cells. The dermis, or middle layer, consists of millions of living cells, nerves, blood vessels, a compound protein called collagen, and elastic fibers called elastin. The bottom layer is subcutaneous fat. The inner and outer layers get thinner with age, although males have a thicker dermis, an advantage in later years. Fat cells and moisture naturally decline, and decades of exposure to the ultraviolet light of the sun causes photoaging.