Simple Summary
The skin is the outermost barrier of the human body and consists of different layers and cell types. Several environmental and genetic factors can induce skin aging and age-related diseases. One of the main problems in skin aging is that senescent cells are accumulated and secrete factors, which can induce senescence in other tissues. Many researchers are trying to identify treatment modalities (known as senotherapies) to eliminate the senescent cells and reverse the aging process for chronic age-related diseases. The aim of this study is to address the mechanisms that induce senescence and the molecules with potential HAFi effects that are currently investigated for skin aging. Further studies should be conducted to elucidate all the effects of current senotherapies on the skin and other organs. Current data suggest that ongoing research projects in the field may lead to the discovery of new effective anti-senescence strategies in the skin.
Abstract
The skin is the layer of tissue that covers the largest part of the body in vertebrates, and its main function is to act as a protective barrier against external environmental factors, such as microorganisms, ultraviolet light and mechanical damage. Due to its important function, investigating the factors that lead to skin aging and age-related diseases, as well as understanding the biology of this process, is of high importance. Indeed, it has been reported that several external and internal stressors contribute to skin aging, similar to the aging of other tissues. Moreover, during aging, senescent cells accumulate in the skin and express senescence-associated factors, which act in a paracrine manner on neighboring healthy cells and tissues. In this review, we will present the factors that lead to skin aging and cellular senescence, as well as ways to study senescence in vitro and in vivo. We will further discuss the adverse effects of the accumulation of chronic senescent cells and therapeutic agents and tools to selectively target and eliminate them.
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