Skin and ageing

The skin structure and function changes throughout the human lifespan. The changes described in this section should be seen as inevitable biological processes, although it may be possible to slow down ageing, no one has yet worked out how to stop it happening altogether! Table 2.3 shows some terms which may be used to describe skin growth and skin death.

Skin death              Definition

Atrophy              Skin shrinking or reducing due to
                           loss of cells either in size or number.
                          This can be either through lack of use
                         (disuse atrophy) or old age (senile atrophy)

Necrosis             Premature, pathological death of
                          tissue caused by trauma, infections or toxins

Gangrene           Tissue necrosis resulting from insufficient blood supply



Skin growth

Hyperplasia                  Multiplication of cells
Hypertrophy                Enlargement of existing cells
Neoplasia                    Tumour composed of abnormal non-functional tissue