What happens as we age?
Young skin is smooth and elastic and contains a large amount of hyaluronic acid that helps the skin look healthy. As we grow older, the ability of the skin to produce hyaluronic acid decreases and the amount of hyaluronic acid begins to fall. As hyaluronic acid helps to bind water, the ability of the skin to retain water also declines with age. As a result, the skin becomes drier, thinner and less able to restore itself. The loss of skin fullness also means that the skin becomes looser. This leads to wrinkling and the older appearance of the skin.

The layers of your skin
Your skin consists of three main layers: the epidermis, dermis and subcutaneous tissue. The epidermis is the outer layer that protects you from heat and cold. The condition of the epidermis determines how your skin looks and also how well your skin absorbs and holds moisture. Wrinkles, however, are formed in the lower layers. The dermis is the middle layer of the skin and the skin's support structure. It is the thickest layer and comprises a network of collagen and elastin fibres. The subcutaneous tissue consists mainly of fat that keeps us warm, stores energy and protects inner organs.

What causes lines and wrinkles?
The dermis is the skin layer responsible for the skin's elasticity and resilience. The dermis functions as the skin's support structure, containing collagen, elastin and biological substances whose main function is to hold moisture in the skin. One of these substances is hyaluronic acid. As we age, the amount of collagen and hyaluronic acid decreases and the elastic elastin fibres become looser and tend to gather in formations, creating wrinkles and folds. However, age is not the only cause of wrinkles. Smoking, sun bathing and pollution damage the structure of your skin, irrespective of age.

Exercise to combat wrinkles
Did you know that exercise not only strengthens your body, but also reinforces your skin? When you subject your body to pressure in a work-out, you also exercise your skin. The increase in blood circulation increases the renewal of cells and makes the capillaries stronger. In this way, you prevent your facial skin becoming bloated, wrinkled and wealed. (Source: M+ Bra, January, 2003)

6-8 hours of sleep
If you want to appear full of life, don't compromise on your sleep. If you don't allow your body to rest for six to eight hours each night, your face will soon show signs of this. (Source: Elle, March, 2003)