It is known to many: the condition of the skin can affect the products and preparations consumed by us, as well as the way of life (smoking, alcohol, taking medications).
At competitions, bodybuilders brag about their judges and the public with their own forms. If an athlete has problems with the texture of the skin, then on the Internet you can expect a massive distribution of his posing photos along with his discussions on the forums.
Old age does not spare anybody, during aging the human body does not get any better. The reasons for premature aging may be several.
I would not like to discuss the external data of Greg Kovacs: they have already been “frayed” in bodybuilding forums for all those who are not too lazy, calling such a pathology Palumboism. Although, most likely, the reason for such a pathology is a search with drugs.
Where are the stretch marks?
In the offseason, some bodybuilders stuff themselves with extravagant amounts of food and horse doses of hormones (for the sake of mass gathering). Kovacs asserted that his pure muscle mass should be 180 kg. With such growth rates, stretch marks on the skin can not be avoided. Stretch marks (Latin striaatrophica) arise from ruptures of the dermis and are often confused with scars, what they really are not, because they do not consist of fibrous tissue. Stretching is a thin epidermis that bridges the ruptures in the dermis that arise from stretching / tearing of the elastic fibers.
Our skin is naturally elastic, but with an intensive increase in body weight, the skin stretches too quickly, to which it can not be prepared. For example, take a sock: it is able to stretch and fit tightly to the ankle. Stretching of the tissue occurs while putting the toe on the foot and taking off.
Over time, the toe wears out, is too stretched and does not sit tightly on the leg. It looks ridiculous when you wear shorts, and socks fall off your ankles. Similarly, and about stretch marks, sustanon-250. If the skin is stretched too much, the elastic properties of the skin are lost and a rupture is formed in the connective fibers, which is why the stretch is formed.
The color of the stretch marks depends on the color of the skin. Usually stretch marks manifest themselves in the form of pink, reddish-brown or brown lines. Color shades can also fluctuate from red, crimson and purple colors. Over time, stretch marks become slightly lighter than the natural skin color, which makes them less noticeable. Bodybuilding tanning can do them completely and inconspicuous.
Why does the skin age prematurely?
Premature aging of the skin is not due to any one factor. The skin is influenced in many ways, including a variety of physiological, hormonal and environmental factors. From excessive exposure to the so-called “aging rays” (ultraviolet), the skin may darken and pigment, the aging process will accelerate due to collagen damage, which may cause dryness / wrinkling / exfoliation and dark spots.
Other unfavorable factors for the skin – lack of sleep, stress, smoking. The first two are still able to reduce the concentration of hormones in the body, for example, growth hormone, which has a nutritional effect on the hair / skin.
Smoking or ingestion of toxic chemicals increases the number of free radicals, which damages the elasticity of the skin and accelerates the rate of aging. Therefore, people who smoke, drink alcohol and take drugs usually look older than their years.
How premature skin aging manifests itself
Most of the damage to the skin is noticeable, but it is impossible to say unequivocally about the nature of such damage, because they can be caused by the natural aging process. Damage from ultraviolet radiation in the solarium or on the beach can cause the appearance of vascular networks on the face, pigment spots, fine wrinkles that appear only when stretched.
Acne from steroids
Acne can occur on the basis of oral or injection steroids. This type of acne is not always treated by classical medical way. A person may have a long time to get rid of the consequences of this pathology, even after stopping the use of steroids. In athletes who continue to use steroids as part of a course of treatment for acne, as a rule, the process of rehabilitation is slowed down, which is an indicator that in the development of acne, a greater role is played primarily by steroids.
Cutaneous sebaceous glands secrete skin fat to lubricate the skin. Admission AAS improves muscle hypertrophy and also promotes the growth of sebaceous glands, which increases the production of sebum. All this takes place along with the pathological production of keratin in the skin, which causes acne, which is essentially the initial stage of acne and contains many lipids of the skin, in particular, free fatty acids and cholesterol, winstrol. Fat turns out to be a substratum for the reproduction of bacteria, which provoke the appearance of dangerous end products in the skin follicles, as a result of which acne also arises.
The effect of AAS and testosterone on skin lipids and the population of propionibacteria acne in young men of post-pubertal age
On the example of athletes of power sports, the factors of the effect of AAS and testosterone on skin lipids and the factor of the population of propionibacteria acne were studied. Subjects injected themselves with increased dosages of AAS and testosterone for a 4-week training period. After 8 weeks, the subjects increased the content of skin lipids and colony-forming units / cm2 (CFU / cm2) in the foci of acne. The percentage values of skin lipids changed. Cholesterol and relative amounts of free fatty acids also increased. Skin lipids collected on absorbent paper similarly altered the dissolved components of lipids. It was concluded that from the administration of large dosages of AAS and testosterone, the growth of skin lipids, the population of foci of acne and the percentage of free fatty acids and cholesterol in skin lipids in healthy men can increase.
The effect of AAS and testosterone on sebaceous glands in athletes of power sports
Strength athletes who used AAS and testosterone underwent a skin biopsy using interactive morphometry to study the proportions of the sebaceous glands. Subjects injected themselves with increased dosages of AAS and testosterone over a 12-week training period. After the 4-week course, the subjects significantly increased the proportion of sebaceous glands to 89%. The number of cells in the differentiated / undifferentiated population of cells multiplied. The researchers suggested that AAS and testosterone in elevated concentrations contribute to the increase in the size of the sebaceous glands in male athletes.
Problems with skin from taking AAS in athletes
The attention of the public about the positive effects of AAS was attracted by the recent scandal of BALCO and the report of Mitchell. However, effects of steroids are still unclear. In addition, negative associations associated with taking AAS can make users less likely to seek help from doctors.
At the first stage of using steroids, rashes on the skin can occur, which can put a dermatologist in an uneasy position in the diagnosis of competitive bodybuilders abusing AAS, anadrol.
Serum concentrations of IGF-1 are associated with the characteristics of the human skin, including the expression of pores on the face
Serum concentrations of IGF-1 correlate with the overall severity of pore formation, as well as the nature of the pathological disruption of the epidermal structure of the pore zone of the face and the fat content factor. The latter factor is correlated with the overall severity of pore formation. It has been established by research that the serum concentrations of IGF-1 are related to the parameters of the facial skin, including the proportions of the facial pores and the nature of the violation of the epidermal structure of the pore zone of the face.
In the skin, the pores can grow in size under the influence of hormones, and also the production of sebum can be increased. The photo shows the first signs of the appearance of acne.
This state of the skin can be explained by both direct and indirect changes in the hormonal background:
- – Dry skin.
- – Fat skin.
- – With pimples.
- – The appearance of large pores.
- – Increased pigmentation (eg, brown spots, melanoderma, uneven skin tone).
- – Less skin density (the less estrogen, the less collagen and hyaluronic acid).
- – Tarnishing of the skin.
