What People Get Wrong About Skin and Aging
Skin and Aging: what people commonly get wrong, set against what published US guidance says.
Most visible aging of exposed skin comes from sun damage rather than time alone, which makes it substantially preventable.
Key takeaways
- Main driver of visible aging on exposed skin: cumulative UV exposure
- Evidence-based topical: retinoids, with sunscreen
- Most useful single change: Use daily sun protection, which is the single most effective measure.
- Commonest mistake: Tanning beds.
- See a doctor if any of the signs under "When to speak to a doctor" below apply to you.
What the guidance actually says
The published position, before we get to what people believe instead.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Main driver of visible aging on exposed skin | cumulative UV exposure |
| Evidence-based topical | retinoids, with sunscreen |
| Smoking | speeds up skin aging |
| Thinner skin with age | increases bruising and tearing risk |
Where people go wrong
Each of these is popular. None of it matches the guidance.
- Tanning beds
- Expensive products with no evidence over basic sun protection
- Dismissing new or changing spots as "just age spots"
What to do instead
- Use daily sun protection, which is the single most effective measure
- Stop smoking
- Moisturize; older skin is drier and more fragile
- Check your skin regularly, as skin cancer risk rises with age
The part that is genuinely uncertain
Guidance changes, and it changes because evidence does. The figures above reflect current US guidance from the bodies named at the foot of this page; where those bodies revise their position, theirs is the account to follow rather than this one.
Related topics
- What the Guidance Really Says About Skin in Later Life (Healthy Aging)
- Bruising and Bleeding: Sorting the Evidence From the Noise (Blood Health)
- The Evidence on Sun and the UV Index, Without the Hype (Environmental Health)
- Skin Cancer: What Published Guidance Supports (Cancer Awareness)
Where to go next
- What Skin and Aging Is, and Why It Matters
- The Skin and Aging Checklist: What to Do and What to Skip
- Skin and Aging — the reference entry
- Skin Health: The Complete Guide
- Itching: What the Evidence Actually Says
- Sun Protection: What the Evidence Actually Says
When to speak to a doctor
See your doctor about any new, changing or non-healing skin spot, which becomes more common with age and should never be assumed to be a harmless age spot. Report skin tears, slow healing or easy bruising, which can reflect medicine effects or an underlying condition. Call 911 for a fall with a head injury in anyone taking blood thinners.
Where this comes from
- National Institute on Aging — Skin Care and Aging
- American Academy of Dermatology — How to prevent skin cancer
How this page was put together
Every figure, recommendation and warning above is taken from the guidance named in Where this comes from. Nothing on this page is inferred, summarized or generalized beyond what those bodies publish: where they give a number, it is their number, and where they are silent, so are we. Pages are rebuilt whenever the underlying record changes. Sign-off by a named clinician, where it has happened, is shown at the top of the page along with the date.
Medical disclaimer
This article is general information, not medical advice. It cannot account for your own history, medication or circumstances. Always speak to your doctor, pharmacist or another qualified health professional before making changes that affect your treatment, and never delay seeking medical advice because of something you have read here. In an emergency, call 911.
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