Understanding signs of ageing – How does skin age and how should I care for it?

Published: February 2016

Last Reviewed: October 2025

As we age, our skin naturally changes, losing some of its elasticity, firmness and radiance. While some of these changes are unavoidable, others are influenced by external factors that can make the skin age faster. Sun exposure, lifestyle choices, and environmental stressors can accelerate the process, leading to premature fine lines, wrinkles, and dullness. The good news is that with the right skincare routine and healthy habits, you can help manage and slow these ageing symptoms, keeping your skin looking youthful for longer.

In this article, we’ll explore the early signs of ageing, explain what happens during the ageing process, examine internal and external causes, and share the best ways to care for your skin as it matures.

Although collagen production begins to decrease from the early twenties, the first ageing signs usually start to appear on the skin from around the age of 25. 

You may also notice changes in skin texture, a gradual loss of volume that makes the face appear more angular, and slight sagging in areas such as the cheeks. Find out more about signs of ageing below:

Fine lines and wrinkles are often the first visible signs of ageing. Crow’s feet at the corners of the eyes and laughter lines around the mouth usually appear in your 30s, followed by forehead lines. These dynamic wrinkles form when your facial muscles move.

Mouth wrinkles, including marionette lines and nasolabial folds, often start as subtle lines in your late 20s to early 30s, especially if you smile or talk frequently. Over time, they can deepen due to loss of skin elasticity, collagen, and facial volume. Early skincare and treatments that support skin structure can help maintain a smoother, more youthful appearance.

As skin ages, it can begin to lose volume, giving the face a more angular appearance. The cheeks may appear flatter, and the under-eye area can become slightly hollow. Volume loss can also contribute to sagging around the cheeks and mouth, making fine lines and wrinkles more noticeable.

Focusing on hydration, firming, and supporting the skin’s structure in your daily skincare routine can help maintain a fuller, more youthful appearance. 

A decline in the skin’s natural oils and moisture-retaining abilities is also common with ageing. Your skin may also feel rougher, tighter, or flakier, particularly in areas like the cheeks and around the eyes. Dry skin not only feels uncomfortable but also makes fine lines and wrinkles more visible. 

Using moisturisers that restore hydration and strengthen the skin barrier can help prevent dryness and improve skin texture as you age. 

Ageing slows down skin cell renewal and reduces blood flow, which can leave skin looking tired or less radiant. Uneven skin tone, such as slight redness or subtle pigmentation differences, may appear, and mature skin can also become drier and ‘crepey’, losing the natural glow of youthful skin.

Gently exfoliating, protecting the skin from UV damage, and using products that promote radiance can help restore a healthy, even glow.

Loss of elasticity can make skin look older and less resilient. The skin may start to feel less firm and supple, with a weaker structure due to a gradual decline in collagen and elastin. Areas like the cheeks, jawline, and around the eyes may begin to sag, and fine lines and wrinkles become more noticeable.

Skin ageing is unique to each individual, so these changes appear at different ages, but they are most commonly experienced by people over 50.

Whilst the signs of ageing appear on the surface, skin ageing takes place in every layer of the skin. Understanding the skin’s structure and ageing process is important because it helps you take better care of your skin and address changes effectively. 

The epidermis acts as a barrier to protect the body and retain moisture. As we age, cell turnover slows and production of sebum and Hyaluronic Acid decreases. This leads to dryness, rough texture, and the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Ageing also makes the skin more sensitive to the sun, slower to heal, and more prone to irritation. 

The dermal layer mainly consists of collagen, elastin and connective tissues, and it is rich in blood vessels. From around age 25, collagen declines by about 1% per year, and elastin function decreases. This weakens the skin structure, making wrinkles more likely and reducing radiance due to lower blood circulation. 

The deepest layer stores fat for padding and insulation. The most significant changes are the reduction in size and number of lipid-storing cells. With age, fat cells shrink, leading to volume loss, sagging, and deeper wrinkles, especially around the cheeks and temples.

If you’re in your twenties, now is the perfect time to start using anti-ageing products. A good routine can help prevent early signs of ageing, keeping your skin healthy, plump, and youthful for years to come.

• Gentle cleansing: Begin your routine with a gentle cleanser like the Eucerin DermatoCLEAN Cleansing Gel to remove dirt, impurities, and bacteria without stripping your skin’s natural moisture.
• Anti-ageing serums: Use Eucerin Hyaluron-Filler Epigenetic Serum every day. This clinically tested epigenetic anti-ageing serum contains the active ingredient Epicelline®, proven to visibly reverse signs of skin ageing, reactivate youth genes, and reduce fine lines and wrinkles for firmer, younger-looking skin*.
• Moisturise: Make sure to moisturise your skin day and night because hydrated skin is healthier, more resilient, and naturally more youthful-looking. In the morning, use Eucerin Hyaluron-Filler Day Cream SPF 30, which combines high and low molecular Hyaluronic Acid to hydrate both the surface and deeper layers of your skin, stimulate your skin’s own hyaluronic acid production, and protect against UV-induced ageing. At night, apply Eucerin Hyaluron-Filler Night Cream, which continues to hydrate and plump the skin, supports regeneration, and helps preserve the skin’s natural Hyaluronic Acid, ensuring long-lasting hydration while you sleep.

* Product-in-use test with 160 women over 4 weeks

Sun exposure is one of the main causes of premature skin ageing. To protect your skin, use a broad-spectrum sunscreen every day, wear protective clothing, and limit time in direct sunlight.

Eucerin Sun Fluid Photoageing Control SPF 30 is a high-performance sunscreen designed to protect the skin from sun-induced ageing and support its natural repair mechanism. Its formulation combines advanced sun protection with active ingredients that help reduce the visible signs of photoageing. 

Explore more Eucerin sunscreens tailored to your skin types.

Reducing the visible ageing signs isn’t just about using the right skincare products, it’s also about lifestyle choices and protecting your skin from daily stressors. 

• Stay active and manage stress: Maintaining an active lifestyle and limiting exposure to pollution helps reduce oxidative stress on your skin.
• Prioritise quality sleep: High-quality sleep each night allows your body to repair and regenerate, keeping your skin healthy and youthful.
• Eat a balanced, antioxidant-rich diet: Include fruits, vegetables, leafy greens, beans, oily fish, and nuts to protect your skin from free radical damage.
• Avoid smoking: Quitting smoking reduces harmful free radicals and improves both your skin’s appearance and overall health.
• Adapt your skincare routine: Tailor your routine to your skin’s changing needs, from targeting fine lines in younger skin to boosting elasticity in more mature skin.
• Consistency is key: Daily cleansing, care, and sun protection form the foundation of healthy, resilient, and radiant skin.
  
   

Ageing skin can be influenced by many factors, including genetics and natural processes like reduced collagen and elastin production. It can also be accelerated by external factors such as sun exposure, pollution, smoking, poor nutrition, lack of sleep, and repeated facial expressions.

Some of the causes of skin ageing are natural and unavoidable. These are known as internal, intrinsic, or chronological ageing. Our biological age determines structural changes in the skin and how efficiently cells function, both of which slow down over time.

• Hormonal influences – As oestrogen levels decrease, communication between skin cells becomes less effective, leading to visible changes in texture and firmness.
• Reduced blood circulation – Blood flow to the skin slows as we age, meaning fewer nutrients and less oxygen reach the surface. This causes the natural radiance of youthful skin to fade, leaving skin looking dull. 
• Genetics – The skin type and phototype you are born with play a major role in how your skin ages. Genetics influence factors such as thickness, sensitivity, and how much natural collagen your skin produces. Epigenetic changes affect how our genes function, influenced by factors like lifestyle, environment, and ageing, without altering the DNA itself. Over time, these changes can disrupt the production of collagen and elastin—proteins essential for firm, smooth skin—leading to sagging and wrinkles, especially in areas that move frequently, such as around the mouth. Eucerin Hyaluron-Filler Epigenetic Serum helps restore the skin’s firmness and resilience, smoothing wrinkles for a more youthful appearance.
• Age-related changes – Over time, the skin produces less collagen and elastin, making it thinner, weaker, and less firm. This leads to wrinkles, sagging, and greater fragility, as well as slower healing and increased sensitivity to external stressors.
• Health condition – Certain chronic health conditions that are more common in older adults, such as diabetes, kidney disease, heart disease, atherosclerosis, and other health conditions, can also accelerate the skin ageing process and cause symptoms that affect the skin.

Skin ageing isn’t just a natural process; it’s also shaped by external factors we face daily. Sun exposure, pollution, smoking, poor nutrition, and unsuitable skincare can all accelerate visible signs of ageing such as wrinkles, sagging, and uneven tone. Knowing how these factors affect your skin helps you take steps to protect and preserve its youthful appearance.

• Sun – The sun’s rays are the primary external cause of skin ageing via oxidative stress. Skin damage caused by the sun is known as photoageing, and uneven pigmentation is often one of the first visible signs of ageing to appear. For this reason, it is important that you take actions to prevent and treat sunburn to keep your skin healthy.
• Pollution – Exposure to air pollution can trigger the release of skin-damaging free radicals. Pollution also worsens the effects of sun exposure, further accelerating oxidative stress.
• Smoking – The chemicals and nicotine contained in cigarettes increase the number of free radicals in the skin. Like pollution, they also intensify the effects of sun exposure.
• Nutrition – Antioxidants are molecules with the ability to neutralise the free radicals that damage skin and speed up skin ageing. Eating lots of antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables is an important part of caring for our skin as it ages.
• Inappropriate skincare – Skin will age more quickly if it is poorly cared for or if you use products that irritate your skin. Thorough cleansing using gentle products appropriate for your skin type, together with the regular application of products targeted at your skin’s primary concern, will help to care for your skin.
  
   

Understanding how and why our skin ages is key to maintaining a youthful, healthy complexion. Skin ageing is influenced by internal factors such as genetics and hormonal changes, as well as external triggers like sun exposure, pollution, and lifestyle habits. While we can’t stop the natural ageing process, adopting an effective anti-ageing skincare routine, eating a balanced diet, staying hydrated, and protecting your skin from UV damage can significantly slow the visible signs of ageing.

By combining daily sun protection with targeted skincare and healthy lifestyle choices, you can help preserve skin firmness, smoothness, and radiance for longer.

1. Shen, X., Wang, C., Zhou, X., Zhou, W., Hornburg, D., Wu, S., … Snyder, M. P. (2024). Nonlinear dynamics of multi-omics profiles during human aging. Nature Aging, 4, 1619–1634. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43587-024-00692-2