By the year 2030, an estimated 1 in every 5 US residents will be over 65 years of age. Skin aging, which encompasses an entire spectrum of changes starting with fine rhytids (wrinkles), discolorations, and benign keratoses, progressing to deeper wrinkles, pre-cancerous lesions, and eventually skin cancers is of particular interest in dermatology. Skin pigmentation, or lack of it, is thought to be the most important determinant of how quickly (or slowly) people age. However, there is data suggesting that this may not be the case and other factors, such as ethnic differences in DNA repair may also play a major role. This article reviews available data on the differential aging process by ethnic background. The findings strongly suggest that there are other important determinants of aging besides skin color where future research may suggest ways to slow or reverse skin aging which can possibly benefit all ethnicities.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.