A Clinicoepidemiological Study of Cutaneous Manifestations in the Geriatric Age Group

In the 2017 study involving 200 elderly patients aged 60 years and above, researchers found that the most common skin changes due to aging were wrinkling (91%) and xerosis (52.5%). Eczematous conditions were present in 26.5% of patients, with fungal infections being the most prevalent type of infection (16%). The most common benign skin tumors were cherry angiomas (51%) and seborrheic keratosis (51%), while premalignant and malignant tumors were less common. Nail changes and hair changes were also significant, with loss of lustre (48.5%) and vertical ridging (32%) in nails, and greying (75%), diffuse hair loss in females (30%), and androgenic alopecia in males (67.2%). The study highlighted the challenge in distinguishing between physiological and pathological changes in aging skin and concluded that intrinsic physiological changes are largely responsible for these dermatological manifestations.