Dear Doctors: Why does our skin get thinner and more fragile as we age? My mom is 67, and it's happening to her. She reached for something between the couch cushions, and the pressure tore her skin. She also bruises more easily than before. How can you protect aging skin?
Dear Reader: Skin is the largest organ of the body. It provides us with a constant stream of sensory data and protects us from potential dangers in the external world. These include biological threats such as bacteria and fungi, chemical toxins and damage from the sun's ultraviolet rays. Skin is our first defense against harm arising from physical contact. It also helps manage fluid and electrolyte balance, and it is crucial to the regulation of body temperature.
And, as happens with the rest of the body, our skin changes as we grow older. This is known as dermatoporosis, and it involves each of the skin's three distinct layers. The topmost layer, which is the one we see, is the epidermis. It contains skin cells, proteins and the pigments that give our skin its color. The middle layer, which contains nerves, blood vessels, oil glands and hair follicles, is the dermis. And the innermost layer, which is made up of fat and tissue and contains sweat glands, is the hypodermis.
