Wrinkles are a natural part of aging

Q: What causes the skin to wrinkle as we grow older? I'm over 60 and am starting to have more wrinkles around my eyes and mouth and generally my skin is very dry.

A: Wrinkling is caused by the loss of subcutaneous fat and water in the epidermal layers of the skin and exposure to the sun over many years. These changes are a normal part of the aging process, but people with highly pigmented skin are less prone to wrinkles.

Over time, the elasticity of the skin decreases and the glands produce less sebum (fatty secretions of the sebaceous glands) in the aging adult. This causes the skin to be dry and scaly. Changes in the skin can be partially overcome by bathing in warm (never hot) water, and using an oil-based soap. After bathing, avoid the use of dusting powder and apply an emollient lotion.

Other visible physical changes include graying hair and a thickening of the toe nails that make them more difficult to cut.

Aging, unfortunately, is not respected in our society. It is best to think of wrinkles and laugh lines as the patina of the heart and soul.

'Just old age?' Maybe not

Q: My 84-year-old aunt was recently hospitalized after she became weak, shaky and mentally confused. At first we thought her weakened condition was just part of old age. Her doctor thought otherwise.

After a series of tests, she was diagnosed as having gallstones. She had surgery, has recovered and is back at home on her own. My reason for this letter is to let you and your readers know that many changes in health in older persons cannot be attributed to just "old age" but should be looked upon as a medical problem and treated by a doctor. We did this, and our aunt is back with us again.

A: Your letter helps to re-enforce the current thinking in gerontology that aging is a growth and development process, not a disease process. It can be baffling for families and professionals alike when there is a change in an older person's health. For many complex reasons, older persons do not have the usual symptoms of a disease process. Your aunt's symptoms of weakness, shakiness and mental confusion are not the most common symptoms of gallstones, compared to the usual symptoms of severe abdominal pain and jaundice. It takes a good medical diagnostician to come up with the correct diagnosis.

Life expectancy vs. life span

Q: What is the difference between life expectancy and life span? Do the experts in aging envision humans living for 150 years or more?

A: Life expectancy refers to the average number of years of life expected for an individual in a given population. Life span is the maximum number of years of life possible for a species.

Your second question is thought-provoking. Researchers have found ways to increase both the life expectancy and life span of animals. So far, making those changes in humans has been a fairly slow process. Some dramatic changes have occurred in increasing life expectancy of persons living in developed countries such as ours. The credit for this is given to major improvements in nutrition, sanitation, housing and health care.

In the last 100 years life expectancy in the United States has risen from age 46 to 74.2 for men and from 48 to 80.5 for women. More people are living to old age now than ever before in recorded history. The life span, however, for humans has remained fixed at 115 years for all of recorded history.

The prospect of increasing the life span of humans is exciting but probably will not happen in our lifetime. Present-day research in aging (gerontology) is directed toward health promotion and disease prevention.

Men get osteoporosis, too

Q: Does osteoporosis only affect women? You never hear of men having this disease.

A: Osteoporosis affects both men and women. In a recent study reported in the Archives of Internal Medicine involving 253 women and 110 men, men were very much at risk for osteoporosis. Of the estimated 10-million Americans diagnosed with osteoporosis, more than 2-million are men.

Most people think that osteoporosis is a disease of postmenopausal women. Doctors cite fractures in older men as a cause of osteoporosis, but men are not routinely tested or treated for this bone-thinning disease. That puts men at risk for other debilitating illnesses, even death. In this study, 32 percent of the men died within a year of their fractures. Their deaths were linked to their weakened conditions and being immobilized by their fractures.

Men should request that they be tested for osteoporosis at their annual physicals.

-- Jolayne Farrell is a registered nurse with a master's degree in public health/gerontology. Write to Jolayne Farrell in care of Seniority, the St. Petersburg Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731. Please note that individual responses cannot be provided.

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