As we age, our skin undergoes structural changes that affect its appearance. These changes can be broken down into 2 categories: intrinsic (natural) ageing which is controlled by genetics and health conditions and extrinsic (environmental) factors like pollution, particulate matter, and damaging UV rays. Lifestyle choices like diet and smoking can also impact skin’s structure.

Over time, these environmental and lifestyle factors lead to the accumulation of molecular damage in the skin. This affects skins structure - ultimately resulting in fine lines and wrinkles.

Generated by aggressors such as UV rays and pollution, ROSs (also known as free radicals) can damage cell structures - causing wrinkles over time and compromising the skin’s ability to repair itself. ROSs also destroy lipids and cause inflammation. They also come from just breathing/metabolism and our bodies are designed to defend against them to a certain degree, however this ability reduces with age plus we are bombarded with FR’s from pollution, UV,  stress, poor diet, smoking etc. This leads to an accumulation of oxidative stress that the body and skin can't deal with. This accumulation of molecular damage over time results in lines, wrinkles, pigmentation etc.

They are enzymes that breakdown our collagen and inhibit formation of new. Found naturally within skin to breakdown old fibres but they are activated by UV, stress and inflammation in the skin causing more breakdown than we can reproduce.

This is the reaction between sugar and protein such as collagen. So influenced by poor diet. Sugar glycates the collagen = cross linking of the fibres and loss of elasticity.