Are Old Guys Thicker Skinned?
As you’ve gotten older, have you developed a thicker skin?
If you do take criticism better than you did, that’s great. Why that is, we have no clue.
Unless the actual thickness of your skin has anything to do with your mental resilience. Again, we have no clue.
Here is what we do know about men’s skin.
First off, men’s skin is actually thicker than women’s. The male dermis (the deeper layer of your skin) is somewhere between 20%-25% thicker, and the reason for this is that men’s androgen (testosterone) stimulation causes an increase in skin thickness. The end result is skin that has a tougher texture. Men’s wrinkles tend to be deeper. Don’t, however, confuse that with their thoughts.
But let’s get back to what happens as men get older. Skin thickness in men decreases linearly with age. The fact that as men age their levels of testosterone gradually decrease could play a role in older men’s skin thickness (or thinness). But what some studies show is that it has more to do with collagen loss.
Bottom line is that as a man, you are thicker skinned than women, but as you age you are thinner skinned. Studies do give us a clue on this one.
So, what does that mean?
Men are less dense
Men as they age are not as dense as they used to be. Of course, I am referring to their skin’s capillary and collagen density. Mentally, it’s on a case-by-case basis, but we like to think that old guys do collect some wisdom as they age.
With lack of density comes greater sensitivity to environmental conditions.
The environmental conditions most often mentioned are sun exposure, smoking, and air pollution. Degrees of sensitivity to these conditions also has to do with ethnic-specific skin. Darker skin types are better protected regarding sun exposure due to the higher melanin content in their skin.
One of the factors that comes up often as to why men are impacted more by environmental elements is the belief that men don’t take as good care of their skin as women do. We are shocked.
But if we have learned anything from all of this information it is that having thicker skin does not give you a free ride on taking care of your skin.
So, what should you do? Funny you should ask.
Actually, we will be writing more about how old guys can improve the health of their skin, without buying our stuff, in the months to come.
Resources:
Male versus female skin: What dermatologists and cosmeticians should know. S. Rahrovan, MD, MPH,a F. Fanian, MD, PhD,b P. Mehryan, MD,a P. Humbert, MD, PhD,b and A. Firooz, MDa, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6116811/
Testosterone Levels by Age, Medically reviewed by Daniel Murrell, M.D. — Written by Alexia Severson — Updated on April 1, 2019 https://www.healthline.com/health/low-testosterone/testosterone-levels-by-age
The influence of age and sex on skin thickness, skin collagen and density. S Shuster, M M Black, E McVitie https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1220811/
Environmental influences on skin aging and ethnic-specific manifestations. Andrea Vierkötter and Jean Krutmann https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3583881/