• Question: Elderly people get wrinkled skin. Can we work on medication to stop/delay this?If yes, how will it happen?

    Asked by Riddi5 to Ajay, Kate, Kuntal, Pip, Reka on 17 Nov 2016. This question was also asked by Ria.s.
    • Photo: Reka Nagy

      Reka Nagy answered on 17 Nov 2016:

      Older people get wrinkly skin because it loses the materials that make it flexible – so it is less easy for skin to retain its shape after getting deformed – which if why we often see the first wrinkles start to appear in areas of the skin that get creased a lot – such as the space between our eyebrows or the corners of our mouths.

      There are some medications that delay the onset of wrinkles by providing the skin a replacement for these materials that they have lost.

      The process of wrinkling can also be stopped by injecting botox, which is a toxin made by bacteria, under the skin. This toxin paralyzes the muscles under the skin, making them unable to contract, so they don’t wrinkle the skin. This is why celebrities, who often get these treatments, seem to be wearing a mask – as they can’t physically smile!

    • Photo: Pip Millington

      Pip Millington answered on 18 Nov 2016:

      The pattern of wrinkles someone has reflects how the skin is creased by the muscles which move it.

      As well as skin cells, skin also contains layers of fibres between the cells which help keep the skin together. Collagen is a protein which forms fibres which keep the skin firm and strong. Elastin is a protein which makes the skin supple and elastic. Over many years, damage from ultraviolet light makes these proteins less able to do their job because they break apart more easily.

      This would be OK if the body had a way of replacing them but the cells within the skin seem to produce less collagen and elastin as you get older. This is probably due to DNA methylation which is something we know occurs with aging (termed the epigenetic clock) and I think it is this process which you would need to stop in order to give people youthful skin for a long time. Unfortunately we don;t have a very good way of doing this yet.

      Treated with botox masks the effect of this but it doesn’t stop the underlying problem – it doesn’t replace the broken proteins. It’s sort of like treating an infection with paracetamol. It stops you from getting a temperature and feeling bad but it doesn’t kill the bugs which cause the infection

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