Ben Minerath, "PONCE DE LEON AND THE BIOLOGY OF SKIN AGING"

Maintenance of youthful skin is a universal need and currently represents a multi-billion dollar business. Despite large investments in skin care products and markets, considerable opportunities still exist. Revitalization of aged skin requires the development of new potentially disruptive technologies to maintain or restore skin health. Paramount to development of such products is a fundamental understanding of the intrinsic and extrinsic factors that impact skin aging. This information coupled with an appreciation of consumer expectations provide for insightful technical developments. Accordingly, this talk will compare and contrast attributes of infant and aged skin. The fundamental understanding of skin aging affords the basis to efficiently develop differentiated skin care products. Finally, factors associated with deterioration of skin structure and function with age will be reviewed to afford mechanistic insights into skin aging that can guide technology development.