Why Skin Gets Wrinkly as We Age

As we age, some skin cells stop working properly and start leaking harmful chemicals that tell other cells to slow down production of collagen and elastin — the proteins that keep skin firm and bouncy — which is why skin gets wrinkly, loose, and heals slower.

Spending too much time in the sun over the years causes your skin to break down its natural support system—like tearing up the strings in a trampoline—which makes your skin sag, wrinkle, and develop dark spots.

After menopause, when women’s estrogen levels drop, their skin gets thinner, loses more moisture, makes less collagen (the protein that keeps skin firm), and wrinkles show up faster.

When your skin is exposed to sunlight, pollution, or even just normal body processes, it creates harmful molecules that damage skin proteins and break down collagen—this is why wrinkles form over time.

As we get older, our body sometimes has a quiet, ongoing low-level inflammation that breaks down the skin’s support fibers, making it harder for skin to heal and causing it to thin and sag over time.