Charlotte Hilton Andersen | Medically reviewed by Michael Spertus, MD
Updated: Oct. 11, 2019
Have you stopped eating pickles because you can't get the jar open? Are your pants tight in the waist but loose on your legs? We've got news for you...
You have hair loss—and not just on your head
Seeing a little (or a lot) of scalp peeking through your hairline is a well-known sign of aging but surprisingly, it isn’t limited to your head, says Bindiya Gandhi, MD, an integrative and functional medicine specialist in Decatur, GA. If you’re younger and you notice things getting a little sparse on your arms, legs or *ahem* other places, it can indicate your body is aging faster than you think. Gray hair is also a sign of premature aging. You may ask yourself, what causes gray hair? Well, here are the 7 sneaky reasons you’re going gray too soon.
You can’t lift the 30-pound bag of dog food into your cart
Muscle strength is directly correlated to how you age, since you actually lose muscle mass the older you get, making you progressively weaker, says Barry Sears, PhD, author of the Zone Diet book series and president of the non-profit Inflammation Research Foundation in Peabody, MA. This isn’t destiny, however. You can increase your strength and build back some muscle mass by lifting weights or doing some other strength training exercises. Here are 12 signs your brain is aging faster than you are.
Bruises show up more frequently
One important and oft-overlooked sign of premature aging is that you find yourself bruising more easily and healing from bruising more slowly than you used to, says Adam Friedman, MD, Professor and Interim Chair of Dermatology at George Washington School of Medicine and Health Science in Washington, DC. ” A sign of photoaging on sun-exposed areas is easy bruising, called solar purpura, which results from chronic damage to the support structures around the small blood vessels in the skin,” he says. “Even the simplest of trauma cause them to rupture and the thin fragile skin from chronic sun damage doesn’t confer much protection to the vessels.” As a result, bruises are much easier to make.
You’ve got more wrinkles than your best friend from high school
A telltale sign of aging is wrinkles and sagging skin, and the rate at which you get them can indicate you are aging faster than you should be for your age. Genetics can play a role, but a big factor in loose, wrinkly skin are lifestyle choices, says Anthony Youn, MD, a plastic surgeon in Troy, MI and author of several books including The Age Fix: A Leading Plastic Surgeon Reveals How To Really Look Ten Years Younger. “Your diet can definitely impact how quickly you age,” he says. “There have been studies that have confirmed that a diet filled with anti-oxidant rich foods such as colorful fruits and vegetables results in healthier skin and less wrinkles than a diet high in saturated fats, processed foods, and sugary foods.” Smoking, excessive sun exposure and alcohol consumption also speed up the signs of aging on our skin, the American Academy of Dermatology reports. Here are 16 more signs your face is aging faster than you are.
You make excuses to not to go out with your friends
Depression doesn’t necessarily increase with age but it can travel with poor aging, says Karol Ward, LCSW, a New York City-based social worker. “People can become depressed if their physical health declines, and they are unable to engage socially or physically the way they used to,” she says. Some people may make excuses for not going out with your friends because they feel like they can no longer keep up, she says. “Telling the truth about how you feel, with people you trust, is a good way to combat feeling isolated and depressed,” she says.
