What are the elder skin problems ?

 ELDERLY SKIN LOOK LIKE :

Ageing skin looks thinner , paler and clear . Pigmented spots including age  spots or liver spots may appear in sun exposed areas . The medical term for these areas is lentigos. Changes in the connecttive tissues reduce the skin's strength and elasticity.




ELDER AGEING  CHANGES IN SKIN :

Skin changes are among  the most visible signs of aging . Evidence of increasing age includes wrinkles and sagging skin. Whitening or graying of the  hair is another obvious sign of aging.  



Skin does many things included  they are :

1. contains nerve receptors that alow you to feel touch , pain , and pressure 
2. helps control fluid and electrolyte balance
3. helps control your body temperature 
4. protects you from the environment 

Skin has many layers , it can generally be divided into three main parts :

- The outer part contains skin cells , pigment and proteins .
- The middle part contains skin cells , bllods vessels , nerves , hair follicles and oil glands . The dermis provides nutrients to the epidermis .
- The  inner layer under the dermis contains sweat glands , some hair follicles , blood vessels , and fat . 

Skin changes are related to environmental factors , genetics makeup , nutrition , and other factors . The  greatest single factor is sun exposure .  Comparing areas of your body that have regular sun exposure with areas  that  are protected from sunlight. Natural pigments seem to provide some protection against sun - induced skin damage . Blue eyed , fair  skinned people more aging  skin  changes  than people with darker , more heavily pigmented skin . 


AGING CHANGES 

The outer skin layer thin , even though the number of cell layers remains unchanged . The number of pigment - containing cells decreases. Aging skin looks thinner ,  paler , and clear . Pigmentation  spots including age spots or liver spots may appear in sun exposed areas . The medical term for these  areas is lentigos . 

Changes in the connective tissue reduce the skin's strength  and elasticity. This is known as elastosis . The blood vessels of the dermis become more fragile . This  leads to bruishing , bleeding under the skin , cheery angiomas and similar conditions . Some medicines atre absorbed by the fat layer . Shrinkages of this layer may change the way that these medicines work. The sweat glands  produce less sweat . this makes it harder to keep cool. risk for overheating or developing heat stroke increases. 

Growths such as skin tags , warts , brown rough patches and other blemishes are more common in other people . also common are pinkish rough patches which have a small chance of becoming  a skin cancer . 


EFFECT OF CHANGES 


Skin is thinner , more fragile , and you lose some of the protective fat layer. you also may be less able to sense touch, pressure viration , heat and cold.  Rubbing & pulling on the skin they can cause skin tears . Fragile blood vessels can breal easily . Ptressure ulcers can be caused by skin changes , loss of the fat layer , reduced activity , poor nutrition, and illnesses . Ageing skin repais itself more slowly than younger skin. Healing may be up to 4  times  slower . Diabetes , blood vessel changes , lowered immunity , and other factors also affect healing . 

COMMON PROBLEMS 

Skin disorders  are so common among older people that it is often hard to tell normal changes from those related to a disorder . More than 90% of all old people have some types of skin disorder . skin disorder can be caused by many conditions , including :

skin disorders can be caused by many conditions , including :

  • blood vessels diseases 
  • diabetes
  • heart disease
  • liver disease
  • nutritional  deficiencies 
  • obesity 
  • reactions to medicines 
  • stress

Other causes of skin changes :

  • Allergies to plants and other substances 
  • climate 
  • clothing 
  • exposures to industrial and household chemicals 
  • indoor heating 


Sunlight can cause :

  • loss of elasticity 
  • noncancerous skin growths
  • pigment changes such as liver spots 
  • thickening  of the skin 

Prevention :

  • prevent sunburn if at all possible 
  • use a good quality sunscreen when outdoors , even in the winter 
  • wear protective clothing and hat when needed

Good nutrition and adequate fluids are also helpfudration increases the risk of skin injury.  Sometimes minor nutritional deficiences can cause rashes, skin lesions and other skin changes, even no other symptoms . Keep  skin moist with lotion and other moisturizers. Moist skin is more comfortable and will heal more quickly . 


COMMON SKIN CONDITIONS IN THE ELDERLY



1. WRINKLES : 
the most visible sign of aging skin. the chronic sun exposure and form when the skin loses its flexibility , smokers tend to have more wrinkles than nonsmokers. 

2. FACIAL MOVEMENTS LINES  : 
is known as laugh lines and worry lines become more visibles as the skin loses its elasticity . The lines may be horizontal on the forehead , vertical above the nose , or curved on the temples, upper cheeks and around the mouth and eyes. 

3. DRY AND ITCHING SKIN : 
is a common problem among adults , especially with age. The loss of oil glands is the main cause of dry skin . 

4. SKIN CANCER : 
sun exposure is the most common cause of pre- cancers and skin cancers, either base cell carcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma . 

5. BEDSORES : 
Bedsores are skin ulcers that develop from pressure when people lie in bed or sit in a chair for long periods of time . People with diabetes are more prone  to bedsores because of their poor circulation and decreased feling in their skin . 

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