The many "dreaded" wrinkles are due to a structural deterioration of the skin . Specifically, what is damaged over the years is the collagen of the dermis , that is, the thickest and firmer layer of the skin, which is found under the thin epidermis. Collagen consists of proteins that form a supportive structure around skin cells. In young skin, collagen is firm, elastic and abundant, "like a new mattress," explains John Boorhees, a dermatologist at the University of Michigan (USA). But just like a foam mattress, over time aging skin begins to sag and wrinkle when its collagen is diminished and fragmented. This is due, among other things, to increased production of the collagenase enzyme that breaks down collagen . Furthermore, fibroblasts , critical components of firm and healthy skin, lose their normal stretched state.
People over the age of 80 are estimated to have four times more collagen broken down than those in their twenties. And that causes the dermis, which has lost two-thirds or more of its youthful thickness due to the loss of collagen, in addition to folding, tearing and injuring easily.
