I’m turning 40 this year, and I’m noticing that the nicks and cuts I’m used to getting which have always healed really quickly are leaving more scars and lasting longer than they have in the past. Im outdoors active, and accrue more than a few cuts often on my lower legs. Is this a natural part of growing old, which is in line with my observations of my parents’ skin as well, or am I not caring for my skin well?
In: Biology
You might want to test your hormones. Testosterone deficit (below 400 ng/dl or so) and hypothyroidism (TSH > 3.5), measured soon after your normal wake-up time, can both cause this.
I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism last year, and upon starting medication, several symptoms I had previously thought were due to aging just disappeared.
Also check your BS levels, you may have an elevated A1C and that can be messing with your ability to heal from cuts and scratches. One of my own first signs was the slower healing from a cut I received.
All the things posted are mostly correct… Yet one your age and mine(54) can supplement with HgH or HgH Peptides and all your stuff will heal in record time.
It isn’t only the external skin that gets stiffer – the stiffness of the aorta is a greater predictor/risk-factor for death than age, due to the impact that blood pressure has on vascular system damage levels, and consequently nutritional distribution.
**Sugar** creates cross-linking – stinking proteins together, to make everything less elastic. **Bacon**, or otherwise the burnt sugared **browning** on meat, creates advanced glycation end (AGE) particles – which get stuck between cells, effectively speckling you with gravel. So people that eat browning become browner/harder themselves.
Repairing DNA damage from sunburn will consume a lot of body resources, and generally leads to aging – disrupting things like skin moisture levels, for example.
If you are curious about Longevity, check out the [subreddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/longevity/).
Completely anecdotal, but last year I noticed I was accumulating injuries faster than they were healing(moving is a bitch) and that improved when I started eating more gelatin (real jello) and taking a biotin supplement. This spring I started taking them again when I noticed the same thing happening and it seems to be working.
You can get biotin gummies labeled as hair, skin & nails or sometimes just a “beauty”
The turn over rate of cells is slower, there is less collagen and fat also.
The older you get the more fragile the skin becomes especially if you are a smoker, have alot if sun exposure and genetics.
When I worked in nursing homes and did home health care ; some very elderly residents/clients had skin so thin it would rip just by “sticking” to a surface since their sweat glands dont function normally.
There are many factors as to why our skin changes as we age.
One word Elasticity! For example Stem cells, for instance, are known to decrease substantially over time, with only a fraction as many present in the body in adulthood as during childhood. These play important roles in regenerating the cells and tissues that may be lost or damaged with a wound or injury. Of course this is not the only culprit, decreased decreased collagen in the skin means it loses some of its flexibility, and can more easily tear or break. Skin also tends to thin with age, along with a redistribution or change in subcutaneous fat layers.
Circulation problems, caused by high blood pressure, diabetes, heart problems, vein disease, and related pathologies. In most cases, these conditions result in less complete circulation in the body, meaning nutrients and other vital substances are less effectively circulated and therefore less effectively available where they are needed for wound healing, skin and tissue health, and related purposes. These are just some examples of why our skin heals slower overtime. Also think about Diabetes, Clotting Disorders and also consider immunosuppressant drugs! These and other lifestyle factors all play a role as we age.😉
I always find that taking a vitamin E pill helps skin heal faster and helps nails and hair grow faster too.
Think of our skin like a rubber band and just like a rubber band that’s 10 years old, it starts becoming brittle, stale, stiff, and difficult to return to its original state.
Your skin doesn’t heal. It is connective tissue that stitch together places that have been damaged. The skin slowly grows back over the connective tissue in a process called remodeling. This is why you have scars and they slowly seem to go away.
Lower legs often have poor blood flow. They are the furthest place away from your heart and require a lot of work to return the blood from against gravity. Think of your veins and arteries as highways. If they aren’t well kept the traffic bringing healing supplies and removing damaged materials takes longer. I would see a doctor if the healing time is really noticably longer than it was in the past. There could be underlying events that could be caught and fixed before they become more severe.
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