Age comes for everyone. At some point, our youthful, smooth skin begins to show signs of wear — a laugh line here, a new crease there.
Humans have been fighting aging skin for millennia, and today we have access to more creams, serums, ointments and applications than at any other time in history.
But do they work?
Recent research reveals that, while some pricey potions might help give our skin a youthful boost, the most effective weapon to fight aging skin might be the chemicals our bodies already produce.
German researchers explored the relationship between aging skin and the endocrine system, which produces hormones.
Our skin ages through a combination of genetic factors as well as external factors like UV ray exposure and pollution.
While we can't avoid growing old, we can take care of our skin. Besides affecting appearance, aging skin also has less wound-healing capacity, less able to protect us from toxins and more susceptibility to skin cancers and infections.
And while we typically think of hormones being produced inside the body, our skin also produces hormones, such as estrogen, melatonin, cortisol and oxytocin.
This latest research offers a peek at how developing new therapies or targeting hormone pathways could help address aging skin in the future.
Researchers also envision endocrine "cocktails" that would include a combination of hormones or similar compounds aimed at improving aging skin.
If your laugh lines are growing more noticeable, just know that science is still uncovering new approaches to treating aging skin.
Hopefully — pun intended — there won't be any wrinkles in the research.