Calculating Your Skin Age

The age of your skin is determined by a lot more than a date on the calendar. Lots of things, ranging from lifestyle choices to genetics, play a role in how old your skin appears. Your skin ages in different ways, too -- not everyone will go through the same aging process.

As you get older, your skin produces less collagen. Collagen is what keeps your skin pulled tightly around your body, so having less means that skin loses some of its youthful elasticity. Your skin may even sag, causing wrinkles [source: Prevention].

When people hit their 40s, skin also produces less oil than it previously did. This will cause your skin to be drier than before, so if you used to wash your face twice a day, you may want to switch to only washing at night. Cleansing can dry out skin even more, so use a quick splash of water to wake yourself up in the morning, and save using a cleanser for removing dirt and makeup for the end of the day. Also be sure to use a moisturizer afterwards -- this can help slow the aging process.

Another skin age factor to watch for is your skin's tone. Your may notice as you get older that the pigmentation in your skin isn't as even as it used to be, or that you have small, darker spots on your skin that weren't there before. Sometimes referred to as sun spots, these little dark circles resemble freckles and shouldn't be confused with moles.

Now that you know what to look for in your skin's age, read on to learn how to keep these factors at bay.

If you're concerned about the way your skin is aging, rest assured that a great deal of your skin's fate is under your control. Skin age is determined by evaluating a number of lifestyle choices, such as diet, exercise, alcohol consumption, smoking and sun exposure.

How much time your skin spends unprotected in the sun has a lot to do with how quickly your skin ages. The sun can cause anything from a decrease in collagen to uneven skin tone, so be sure to use a sunscreen at all times when you're outdoors. Even stress can take its toll on your skin. Stress produces a hormone called cortisol, which has a tendency to decrease collagen production [source: Prevention].

To keep your skin looking young, you can eat a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables and unsaturated fats. Foods rich in as omega-3 fatty acids, for instance, such as fish and nuts, are particularly helpful for people with dry skin [source: University of Maryland]. Exercise helps your skin, too, by facilitating oxygen flow to keep it firm [sources: Janes].

Most resources that assign a number to your skin age will take into account your lifestyle and then provide skin care advice based on what decade your skin's age falls into. If your skin is in its 20s or 30s -- no matter what your real age is -- you'll want to focus on preventing signs of aging. If your skin is older and you want it to look younger again, you'll want to focus on repair.

For lots more information on skin age and skin care, follow the links on the next page.