No matter your prevention strategies, aging is an inevitable and complex process that can be described clinically as features of wrinkles, volume loss, pigment changes, drynesss, dark spots, uneven skin color, and sagging skin. These cutaneous effects are influenced by both intrinsic and extrinsic factors and often are varied based on ethnic origin given underlying structural and functional differences. The authors sought to provide updated information on facets of aging and how it relates to ethnic variation given innate differences in skin structure and function. Publications describing structural and functional principles of ethnic and aging skin were primarily found through a PubMed literature search and supplemented with a review of textbook chapters. The most common signs of skin aging despite skin type are dark spots, loss of elasticity, loss of volume, and rhytides. Skin of color has many characteristics that make its aging process unique. Those of Asian, Hispanic, and African American descent have distinct facial structures. Differences in the concentration of epidermal melanin makes darkly pigmented persons more vulnerable to dyspigmentation, while a thicker and more compact dermis makes facial lines less noticeable. Ethnic skin comprises a large portion of the world population. Therefore, it is important to understand the unique structural and functional differences among ethnicities to adequately treat the signs of aging.
“We’re all aging, despite the times there’s bone remodeling and fat redistribution that’s happening in our 20s.”
But, what aging looks like, which signs of Father Time your skin will show, and when you’ll start to look older aren’t so universal. Aging skin and when it starts to show depends on both extrinsic factors (whether or not you smoke, how religious you are about sunscreen) and intrinsic ones like genetics or ethnicity.
Aging skin can be particularly unique for men or women of different ethnicities.
Generally, signs of aging occur later and are less pronounced in ethnic skin. Our original skin contains pigment-producing cells called melanocytes. Everybody has the same number of melanocytes, but the cells can produce different kinds of pigments [called melanin] in the skin.
Caucasian people make lighter pigments; black people make darker ones. This plays a role in sun protection, she says. Research finds, for example, that Caucasian skin has an SPF of about 3.4. Black skin is protected with a “natural” SPF of 13.4.
In darker-skinned populations, other signs of aging such as wrinkles (particularly those super fine ones around the eyes and lips) tend to be delayed by anywhere from 10 to 20 years. But, it can also be more susceptible to certain age-related issues such hyperpigmentation (dark spots), hypopigmentation (light spots) and more.
So, what can you expect to see in years to come depending on your DNA? Here, experts weigh in. …
Time’s Effects on Ethnic Skin
When it comes to African-American or Afro-Caribbean skin, higher amounts of melanin could bring an increased risk of brown spots, uneven skin tone, and a benign condition called dermatosis papulosa nigra, small dark spots that develop on your face.
African-American patients often complain of volume loss and redistribution. Due to differences in facial structure, this can be more common in your eyes and mid face.
Asians can suffer from deeper skin wrinkles around the forehead and sagging around the jawline and eye areas. Melasma is another biggie, featuring gray-brown patches on sun-exposed areas and sun spots.
A benign condition called seborrheic keratoses — waxy, dark-colored elevated spots on the skin — can strike this population, too, she explains.
In general, ethnic skin tends to be drier than Caucasian skin, but Hispanic skin is usually oilier. One might also suffer from melasma or pigmentation issues due to cells making pigments in high amounts when exposed to sun or hormones.