Wound Care Consultant, United Kingdom.
Int J Pharm. 2022 Jun 25;622:121850. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2022.121850. Epub 2022 May 25.
As the largest organ of the human body the skin offers a protective role, providing a tough but pliable covering that provides the major barrier between the internal organs and the environment. It actively regulates water loss and is both oxygen and carbon dioxide permeable, and influences temperature regulation and immunological functions through its sensory properties. Both intrinsic and enhanced environmental factors contribute to the progressive deterioration of the skin with increasing age. Cutaneous problems are therefore an unavoidable and inevitable consequence of aging skin, which can prove to be both cosmetically unacceptable to those who succumb to these problems, as well as even life threatening if skin breakdown becomes chronic as is case with leg ulceration. This in turn has major implications for long-term impact on those looking after them (e.g., family, carers, etc.) and a huge burden on the health care system.
作为人体最大的器官，皮肤起着保护作用，它提供了一层坚韧而柔韧的覆盖物，是内部器官与环境之间的主要屏障。皮肤能主动调节水分流失，且对氧气和二氧化碳具有渗透性，并通过其感觉特性影响体温调节和免疫功能。内在的和增强的环境因素都会导致皮肤随年龄增长而逐渐恶化。因此，皮肤问题是衰老皮肤不可避免的后果，如果皮肤破裂像腿部溃疡那样变成慢性，甚至会对生命造成威胁，这对那些容易出现这些问题的人来说在美容方面是无法接受的。这反过来又对照顾他们的人（例如，家人、护理人员等）产生了重大的长期影响，并给医疗保健系统带来了巨大的负担。
