SKIN INFLAMMAGING : BIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS AND CONTEMPORARY DERMATOLOGICAL AND COSMETIC APPROACHES
Keywords:
inflammaging, skin aging, chronic inflammation, oxidative stress, cellular senescence, epidermal barrier, dermatology, anti-agingAbstract
Purpose:Skin aging is a multifactorial biological process influenced by intrinsic mechanisms and extrinsic environmental factors, with chronic low-grade inflammation increasingly recognized as a central driver of age-related cutaneous changes. This review aims to analyze the role of skin inflammaging in the aging process and to examine contemporary dermatological and cosmetic approaches for its prevention and management.
Materials and Methods: A narrative literature review was conducted in February 2026 using Web of Science, Scopus, EBSCOhost, and Google Scholar. Publications from January 2010 to February 2026 were screened using keywords related to inflammaging, chronic inflammation, skin aging, oxidative stress, cellular senescence, and anti-aging dermatological and cosmetic interventions. The inclusion criteria comprised full-text articles published in English or Bulgarian in peer-reviewed journals. A total of 37 full-text publications were included in the review.
Results: The findings indicate that skin inflammaging contributes to skin aging through interconnected mechanisms such as oxidative stress, epidermal barrier dysfunction, extracellular matrix degradation, immune dysregulation, and cellular senescence. The reviewed literature also highlights the growing role of topical anti-inflammatory and antioxidant agents, retinoids, peptides, barrier-repair formulations, advanced delivery systems, and dermatological procedures in targeting these mechanisms.
Conclusions: Skin aging is a complex biological process with both local and systemic implications, in which inflammaging plays a central role. Current dermatological and cosmetic approaches show promising potential in modulating these processes. Future research should focus on biomarker identification, standardized clinical protocols, and personalized strategies for the prevention and management of skin inflammaging
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