By Christina Kim

As we age, we often worry about how lines, wrinkles, and sagging will affect our appearance. We consider the benefits of plastic surgery or innovative skin-tightening treatments. We get injectables like Botox and dermal fillers. It isn’t often, though, that adults consider how their complexion could be aging them. Here, we discuss how it can, why it may, and what you can do about an aging complexion.

What Forms Complexion

Our complexion, generally speaking, is our skin tone. The color of our skin is reached by a certain amount of melanin, and we all produce a particular amount based on our genetics. Melanin is also produced in various instances based on physical and environmental factors, and that’s where problems can arise. These factors include:

Sun exposure. Sunshine can feel good on the skin but it can also be incredibly damaging. We know this, and yet many people don’t take proper precautions. The ultraviolet rays in sunshine and also in tanning beds cause the body to produce more melanin. That’s why we look “tan” after time in the sun. There is more melanin and it may not all go away. In time, we see spots and other problems.
Hormones. When we think of hormones and our skin, we might consider how we get acne at certain life stages. For women, hormones also affect skin tone. Specifically, estrogen and progesterone contribute to the production of melanin. So, when these hormones shift, as they do during pregnancy and menopause, there is a greater chance of hyperpigmentation and spots.
Inflammation. The skin becomes inflamed when we get a sunburn. It may become inflamed due to contact with a certain substance or when we eat a certain food. Skin inflammation can also result from pollutants in the air. Anytime the skin is inflamed, the melanocytes jump into action producing more melanin as a form of protection.

Treating the Complexion Rejuvenates the Appearance of the Skin

Aging skin isn’t just characterized by lines and wrinkles. Complexion is also involved. To address sun damage and other complexion woes, adults in the Bryn Mawr and King of Prussia areas can visit our medical spa for customized treatment. Some of the modalities that can correct complexion problems include: