Do you know your skin's true age?  Up until now, there has been no quantitative way of measuring the age of our skin.  Our usual standard consisted of no more than taking a good look in the mirror for dark spots, wrinkles and fine lines and then deciding whether we looked older or younger than our actual age.  However, researchers in the Molecular Imaging Center of National Taiwan University have recently come up with a way to measure the intrinsic or chronological aging of skin.

Working with a small group of 52 subjects ranging in age from 19 to 79, scientists used a new laser procedure to send photons (light particles/waves) into the skin of the inner forearm, an area which is generally not exposed to the sun and thus relatively free of sun damage.  The laser beam penetrated to a depth of about 300 millionths of a meter, or the thickness of the epidermis (the upper layer of the skin).  By measuring the frequency at which the photons vibrated as they interacted with the skin, the scientists were able to produce a high-resolution 3-D map of the tissue.

They found that within skin cells natural aging resulted in a significant increase in the overall size of the basal keratinocytes, the most common cells in the epidermis, as well as in the size of the cells' nuclei.  The other types of skin cells, known as granular cells, did not show an increase.  Researchers suggested that the relative changes in the two types of cells could be used as an index to measure skin's true age.

Beyond being able to use the information to determine which parts of the population might age faster or as a tool to monitor the overall health of a person's skin, researchers put forth that this data could be used to measure the effectiveness of anti-aging products.

Keep in mind that this study is in its very early stages so it may take years before an accurate gauge is developed to rate skin's true age. Lucky for us, we already know that sticking to a tried-and-true anti-aging skin care protocol works:

 1.Apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen like [Link Removed]  daily. Since the sun is responsible for over 80% of damage to the skin, sunscreen is a must every day of the year.

 2.Apply an antioxidant like [Link Removed]  to fight the free radicals that can cause skin to age.

 3.Use a retinoid preparation like [Link Removed] , to help reverse the signs of aging and help prevent future damage from occurring.

I may not be able to find out my skin's true age just yet, but with the help of effective treatments, the face in the mirror won't give it away either.

Sharmani Pillay is a Registered Pharmacist who specializes in anti aging skin care and women's wellness. She owns and operates an online skin care store at [Link Removed]
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