Page 51 - The Truth of the Life of This World

Age-related Physical Problems

No matter how much money you have or how good your health, every-
one eventually faces disabilities and other age-related complications, some
of which are described below:
Skin is truly an important factor determining how somebody looks. It is
an essential component of beauty. When tissue of a few square millime-
tres is removed, one inevitably comes across a picture which squeamish
people find disturbing. This is solely because, apart from offering protec-
tion from exterior threats to the body, skin also provides a smooth and aes-
thetic appearance to the body. This is, no doubt, quite an important func-
tion of skin. After all, if someone assumes herself good looking, that is
solely because her skin, a piece of flesh weighing in total around four and
a half pounds, covers her body. Yet to one's astonishment, this is the only
organ that becomes visibly damaged when one gets old.
As one grows old, skin loses its elastic structure since structural proteins

making up the "skeleton" of its bottom layers become sensitive and weak.
That is also why wrinkles and lines, a nightmare for many people, appear
on the face. The functioning of the oil glands in the top layer of the skin
slows down, causing acute dryness. In time, the body is exposed to exter-
nal influences since the permeability of skin increases. As a result of this
process, elderly people suffer seriously from sleeping disorders, superficial
wounds, and an itch called "the itch of old age". Likewise, damage occurs
to the bottom layers of the skin. Renewal of skin tissue and substance-
exchange mechanisms fail to function to a great extent, preparing and lay-
ing the ground for tumours to develop.
Strength of bones is also of great importance to the human body. Efforts
to achieve an erect posture rarely meet with success for old people, while
it is much easier for the young. Walking with a bent posture, one loses all
one's loftiness and arrogance, giving the message that one no longer has
the ability to exercise control even over one's own body. Therefore, this is
also a loss of one's "airs and graces".
The symptoms of ageing are not limited to these alone. Elderly people
are more likely to develop loss of sensation since nerve cells cease to

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