ABSTRACT
Histological studies have revealed that the major alterations in aged skin are localized to the collage-rich connective tissue and are manifested as a thin and damaged dermis (Fisher et al. 2008; Fisher et al. 1997). These features are derived directly from deleterious alterations in collagen, the most abundant structural protein in skin. Impairment of the dermal collagenous ECM microenvironment directly relate to the development of age-related skin pathologies by causing increased fragility, impaired vasculature support, poor wound healing and a tissue microenvironment that promotes epithelial cancer (Bissell and Hines 2011; Bissell et al. 2005; Kudravi and Reed 2000).
