5 Ways Your Skin Changes as You Age

2. Thinner, duller and more fragile

As we age, our outer layer of skin thins, largely due to the loss of collagen and fat under the skin, says Melanie Palm, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist and founder of Art of Skin MD in Solana Beach, California.

You may notice “more transparency to the skin and more fragility,” Palm says. “Also, that beautiful juicy radiance you see on the skin gets dulled.”

Aging and sun exposure both contribute to skin thinning, she says.

The number of pigment-containing cells in your skin also decreases, making your skin look paler and more translucent. Over time, it can develop a wrinkled, paperlike texture, and you may find that it damages more easily.

At the same time, the blood vessels underneath the skin become more fragile, leading to easy bruising.

“It’s not uncommon for bruises to occur with minimal trauma — it doesn’t have to be a big fall or injury,” says Richard Lucariello, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist with Waccamaw Dermatology in South Carolina. “Just banging your arm on a table lightly can induce it.”

What you can do: Some research indicates that applying a retinol cream could help reverse age-related skin thinning. For example, in a 2018 study published in Experimental Dermatology, Brazilian researchers found that topical retinol helped in “restoring dermal thickness.”

Another study found that retinoids, such as retinoic acid and retinol, significantly increased the thickness of the skin’s outer layer after just four weeks of use.

Because retinol creams can dry out the skin, Lucariello recommends using them only every other day for the first few months, until your skin adapts. He suggests pairing the cream with a thick, high-quality moisturizer, which has the added benefit of further protecting your skin from tearing and damage.

3. Age spots and discoloration

Too much sun exposure can lead to freckles, pigment irregularities and flat dark patches, referred to as age spots, sun spots or liver spots. Lentigines (their clinical name) are most common in areas that get a lot of sun, such as your face, hands, arms, back and feet.

Although young people who spend a lot of time in the sun can develop age spots, they are especially common in people over age 50.

Age spots don’t require treatment, but what looks like an age spot could be skin cancer, so it’s important to have it evaluated by a dermatologist.

What you can do: If your sun spots bother you, there are several options for evening your skin tone and fading spots, Makhzoumi says. Prescription-strength retinol or hydroquinone creams can make them disappear over time. Over-the-counter creams specifically designed for treating dark spots can also help if you use them consistently.

For a faster fix, ask your dermatologist about laser treatments, chemical peels, microdermabrasion or intense pulsed light therapy (IPL, also called a photofacial). To prevent sun spots, stay out of the sun or apply sunscreen to exposed areas.

4. Dryness and itchiness

As the years go by, our skin produces less sweat and less sebum, an oily substance that helps moisturize and protect the skin. Plus, its ability to hold on to moisture declines with age. The result? More than half of older adults battle dry, itchy skin.

You can end up with red, scaly patches on your elbows, lower arms and legs. Some people suffer from extremely dry hands that crack and bleed.

What you can do: Keep dryness at bay by running a humidifier at night, frequently applying moisturizing creams or ointments (not lotions), and wearing gloves when you go outside or perform tasks that require you to get your hands wet, like doing the dishes. (For suggestions, see “Drugstore Skin-Care Buys Better Than the Pricey Stuff.”)

When you bathe, use lukewarm instead of hot water, and apply a barrier moisturizer within two or three minutes of stepping out of the shower. “The key is knowing when to apply it,” Makhzoumi says. “That’s when pores of skin are open, and that’s when you can seal in all the moisture.” If your skin seems red, itchy and cracked, see a dermatologist, who may prescribe a topical steroid that can offer relief.

5. Noncancerous growths

As you age, your skin can become a canvas for all sorts of quirky noncancerous skin growths. Common ones include:

• Brown wartlike patches called seborrheic keratoses that often appear in skin folds

• Skin tags, which are floppy pieces of skin that hang from a stalk

• Cherry angiomas, which are little red dots made of blood vessels

Skin cancer is also more prevalent in older adults, so you should see your doctor if you have any growths that grow rapidly, bleed or don’t heal. (For more, see “4 Warning Signs of Melanoma That Are Easy to Miss.”)

What you can do: If you have growths that bother you, dermatologists have a variety of ways to remove them, such as zapping them with a laser, freezing them with liquid nitrogen or shaving them off surgically.