Beauty

[Brisky]

Stress is huge too. If I could declutter my brain, I would be doing great. That is a hard one.☺

[Icegoddess]

I would say mostly sun and genes.

[tends2dogs]

I would also agree that stress can really play havoc with your looks.  Within a two year span, my husband had a bone marrow transplant (after battling cancer for 10 years), both my parents passed away and so did my dog.

Sometimes I would look in the mirror and was shocked at what I saw looking back.  It was a real aging time for my skin.  I don't think I ever regained it all back. 

But, we can't live life without trials and tribulations.  That isn't realistic. I guess some people handle it better than others.  BTW my husband was cured so that was the biggest gift that outweighed a few wrinkles. 

I feel that my wrinkles, spots, and scars are the souveniers of my life.  They are part of who I am.  They tell my story.

[Porcelain]

Great info @CherryHugs. Thank you for sharing. I'd also add:

• Illness
• Medication side effects
• Systemic inflammation
• Sugar consumption (creates glycation which harms collagen)
• Hormone changes (menopause, reduced growth hormone production)
• Bone loss (changes support structure under skin)

But sun and genetics are the biggest causes.

[Brisky]

My mother would get stressed when receiving bad news and devour the refrigerator while talking on the phone. We all go through life with a crutch of some sort.

[Desertdi]

@tends2dogs   I am so happy for you and your husband that his health has been restored!   That is what matters the most.   (We can "sweat the small stuff".)

[IMW]

Add to the list genetics, loss of teeth causing face to sink in and greatly age.

[chrystaltree]

Yes, to all except the facial expressions.  Sorry,  I am not going through life with a deadpan face that looks like a robot or Stepford wife in the hopes that I might avoid a wrinkle.  That facial expression thing, I don't believe that has any effect at all on aging skin.  Quite the opposite.  I think the women who smile a lot and laugh and show their feelings look younger than their age.  I don't know how many or even if there are facial treatments that sting.  There were products like that back in the day and I would stop using any product that had sting to it or made my face peel or dried it out.  I was much younger back then but common sense told me that those were not....good things...for  anyone's skin.  Now I'm into gentle cleansers and rich moisturizers.

[Brisky]

I guess we can try our best. Getting older is hard because in our heads we still believe we can do what we did many moons ago. That's when our bodies say no way, stop the ******,you aren't twenty.

[Katcat1]

It's all in the GENES.  I have excellent skin for my age.  Smoking did not affect my skin but I no longer smoke.  Sun will definitely affect the skin, and natural aging, dryness and heavy alcohol drinking or drugs.  I am 69 and the other day my hair stylist complimented me on my skin.  I do have a little broken caps. but other than that, my skin is clear with only small wrinkles around the eyes when I smile.