Aging 101

I’ll save the biochemistry of aging for another day but the big ticket item involves changes in the ratio and structure of two important proteins: Collagen and Elastin. Collagen provides rigidity to tissue and Elastin allows it to stretch. Changes at the molecular level of these and other proteins ultimately translate into changes at the macro-structural level, or put another way, changes in the way we look.

These macro-structural changes can be classified into 4 broad categories:

  1. Changes in Skin Texture (i.e. wrinkles)
  2. Descent (ie. Sagginess)
  3. Volume loss or Volume Redistribution
  4. (Changes in the shape of bone and cartilage)

Number 1 and 2, i.e. wrinkles and sagginess, are probably pretty easy to understand for those of us who have watched our features change over time. Number 3, volume changes, is a newer concept that has been better understood over the last decade. I won’t spend much time on #4, because truthfully, there’s not much we can do about it, but if you want to learn more, check out this article by one of my Stanford colleagues Dr. David Kahn.

by | May 7, 2021 | Blog

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