Correlation Between External and Internal Skin Aging Markers by Skin Depth

Area of Science:

• Dermatology
• Aesthetic Science
• Aging Research

Background:

• The skin is a complex, multilayered organ.
• Skin aging is a gradual process, initially internal and later manifesting as visible signs like wrinkles and sagging.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how changes in different skin layers affect visible aging signs such as wrinkles and sagging.
• To explore the relationship between internal skin characteristics and external aging indicators.

Main Methods:

• A study involving 65 Korean women aged 20-65 years.
• Categorized skin characteristics into visible external markers (wrinkles, sagging) and internal markers (hydration, elasticity, density, thickness, dermal-subcutaneous interface length).
• Analyzed relationships between age, external, and internal skin parameters using Spearman's correlation.

Main Results:

• Visible aging signs (wrinkles, sagging) increased with age, while elasticity generally decreased.
• No correlation was found between skin moisture levels and age.
• Skin sagging correlated negatively with epidermal moisture, and wrinkles correlated negatively with elasticity in the deeper dermis.

Conclusions:

• Chronological age strongly correlates with external aging markers.
• Visible aging is significantly influenced by internal skin layer changes.
• Epidermal moisture content impacts skin sagging, and dermal elasticity influences wrinkle formation.