As we age, the population of fibroblasts decreases which results in reduced skin cell production of collagen, elastin, and glycosaminoglycan. The decrease in the production of these fibers that are essential for skin elasticity and skin repair causes the skin to lose fats, become thinner, and to lose its elasticity. As this happens, the skin shows visible and obvious signs of aging.
While intrinsic aging is inevitable, extrinsic aging which pertains to lifestyle and environmental factors that highly magnify the process of aging is preventable. Extrinsic aging factors include sun UV rays overexposure, smoking, poor diet, air pollution, and other environmental stressors, lack of sleep, and sleep position, as well as your repetitive facial movements and expressions. These factors can speed up aging which means that your skin could appear older than your genetic age especially if you're not doing anything to protect your skin from these avoidable factors.