Elsevier

Dermatologic Clinics

Volume 23, Issue 4, October 2005, Pages 643-648
Dermatologic Clinics

Psychosocial Aspects Of Aging Skin

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.det.2005.05.012Get rights and content

Section snippets

Aging skin and interpersonal interactions

The body, especially the appearance of the face, greatly influences individual personal and social identity, and exterior surfaces of the body often become symbols of the inner self [14], an intuitive notion that is supported experimentally. A youthful appearance is associated with increased self-esteem and improved social relations [15]. In one study [16], 20 observers representing both genders rated photographs of 48 white women between ages 54 and 96 for physical attractiveness. Two

Aging skin and the psychologic state

An aged appearance can have a significant psychologic impact on individuals [7], [8]. Pearlman [30] describes a transitional developmental phase, sometimes reaching the proportions of a crisis, that she has termed “late midlife astonishment” [30]. She describes a psychologic reaction to a sudden awareness of the stigmatization of aging, which may manifest as amazement, despair, a disruption of sense of self and identity, or feelings of heightened vulnerability, shame, depression, and severe

Aging skin and body image

The impact of aging skin on body image, which is defined as the mental representation of the body and its organs, may generalize to concerns about overall body image not related directly to the skin [7], [8]. It is shown, for example, that concerns about the aging of the appearance often are associated with concerns about other aspects of body image, such as body weight. In a study of 71 men and 102 women recruited simply because they were present in a shopping mall [32], it was observed that

Summary

A youthful and slim body has become a symbol of financial success, social acceptance, and interpersonal happiness. The idea that chronologic age itself does not signal the beginning of old age has become increasingly prevalent and there is a steady rise in the number of older individuals who are becoming avid consumers of products and procedures that delay or conceal the signs of aging. A greater number of individuals is becoming concerned about aging-related skin changes at a much younger age

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