Our skin ages because, individually, each cell of the body ages and enters the senescence phase, according to a chronology defined by a cellular biological clock: the telomere.
Telomeres are repetitive DNA base units that protect the chromosomes “caps” during cell division. As cells divide over time, telomeres shorten and when telomere length becomes really short, cells stop their division/replication and enter senescence. Senescent cells accumulate with age in the skin, leading to a decline in various aspect of skin function.
How is this reflected in our skin? With visible signs of premature ageing such as wrinkles, dryness or sagging appear.