The signs of ageing on your skin increase with the number of candles on your birthday cake — this is a universal truth. While it is inevitable, there are beauty treatments and products that can help slow down the process of ageing — this is called intrinsic ageing.

But did you know the signs of ageing do not appear only because your body is going through the natural ageing process? Yep, that’s right. A lot of external factors like environmental aggressors and lifestyle changes can fasten the ageing process leading to what we call extrinsic ageing.

To give you a better idea, we’ve listed down in detail the difference between the two. Take a look.

 

Intrinsic ageing

Intrinsic ageing

Also called the chronological ageing, intrinsic ageing, as mentioned before, is the inevitable genetically determined process that occurs with time. This is a continuous process that usually begins in the mid 20s but may not appear evidently for the next few decades for some people. The natural dead skin shedding and repairing process slows down, making skin appear dull and saggy. The most common signs of intrinsic ageing is hollow cheeks and eye sockets, loss of firmness in the skin and shrinked bones.

 

Extrinsic ageing

Extrinsic ageing

Unlike intrinsic ageing, this process is evitable and preventable because it depends on your lifestyle and environment. Extrinsic factors can accelerate your intrinsic ageing and make the signs appear more prominent. The UVA and UVB rays coming from the sun have a huge impact on how fast or soon your skin ages. 90% of skin damage is caused by the sun — this includes sun spots, fine lines, loss of firmness, dry skin and more. That’s why it is very important to wear a broad spectrum sunscreen like the Dermalogica Dynamic Skin Recovery SPF 50 every single day.

Apart from the sun, pollution also causes your skin to age faster. Smoking can speeden up the ageing process. This is because smoking constricts the blood vessels and slows down the blood flow to the capillaries. Broken capillaries can lead to sallow, dry skin and crows feet.