As we age our skin becomes thinner and loses fat, making it less plump and smooth. It also bruises more easily and take longer to heal. These changes lead to wrinkles, age spots and dryness. Sunlight and cigarette smoking also contribute to wrinkles. Wrinkling increases with the amount of cigarettes and number of years a person has smoked. Increased pigmentation (darker skin tone) is associated with protection from sun damage. Darker-skinned people are less likely to develop a sunburn after intense sun exposure, and have a lower incidence of skin cancer. In addition, darkly pigmented subjects have significantly less induction of collagen breakdown and less DNA damage than lightly pigmented subjects.

Photoaging is the premature aging of the skin due to chronic exposure of skin to ultraviolet (UV) light, predominantly from the sun or sun beds. Photoaging ranges from wrinkled, discolored skin through to precancerous lesions, actinic keratoses. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) identified genetic variants in the MC1R gene and the STXBP5L gene that were important determinants for severe photoaging.

STXBP5L rs322458 is associated with global photoaging. People with CT genotype had higher skin wrinkle and sagging scores than people with TT or CC genotypes. To reduce premature skin aging:

• Reduce exposure to the sun
• Quit smoking
• Avoid repetitive facial expressions.
• Eat a healthy, well-balanced diet
• Drink less alcohol
• Exercise most days of the week
• Cleanse your skin gently
• Wash your face twice a day and after sweating heavily
• Apply a facial moisturizer every day
• Stop using skin care products that sting or burn