Age-associated changes in the skin.

Like all organ systems, the skin manifests an age-associated loss of functional capacity and increasing vulnerability to injury and certain disease states. Knowledge of the aging changes in normal skin assists the physician in diagnosis and management of certain dermatoses. Awareness of the important interactions between aging skin and the environment could lead to prevention of many disorders. The burden of skin disease for the elderly is often underestimated. It is psychosocial as well as medical, and although mortality is low, morbidity is high. A rational and caring approach by the general practitioners, family physicians, internists, and geriatricians responsible for this patient population should greatly improve the situation.