Human and mammalian
skin undergoes a variety of changes associated with chronological aging. Various environmental factors,
disease states and genetic disorders may accelerate both the appearance of aging
skin and also the structural and functional changes associated with aging
skin.
Ultraviolet radiation from the sun is one of the classic known and well-defined means of accelerating or worsening the aging of the skin and this is frequently termed
photoaging. Other environmental factors, such as
oxidative stress, free radicals, environmental toxins such as
ozone and cultural customs or habits such as tobacco smoking are other known probe accelerators in
photo aging skin. A wide variety of other factors known and unknown contribute to accelerated or
premature aging of the skin. This invention discusses methods where
electromagnetic radiation, in particular, light, can be used to photobiomodulate the activity of living cells to
delay, diminish, retard or even reverse the structural and functional effects of aging of the skin and other living cells and tissues. In particular methods described for improving the appearance, structure, function of aging skin, including up and down regulating the genotypic markers for the
phenotype of aging skin.