By Diala Haykal and Frederic Flament
Abstract :
Aging is increasingly recognized as adynamic and potentially modifiable biological pro-cess, yet translation of mechanistic discoveries intoclinically validated interventions that extend humanhealthspan remains limited. Because dermatologistscan directly observe, sample, and quantify age-relatedchanges in vivo, the skin provides an accessible plat-form for gerotherapeutic evaluation. As the largestand most environmentally exposed organ, the skinintegrates intrinsic hallmarks of aging, including cel-lular senescence, mitochondrial dysfunction, extracel-lular matrix remodeling, epigenetic alterations, andchronic low-grade inflammation, with lifelong envi-ronmental stressors. These mechanisms manifest asstructural, functional, and molecular phenotypes thatcan be monitored longitudinally using non-invasivetechnologies. Beyond serving as a visible indica-tor of organismal aging, cutaneous dysfunction mayalso influence systemic aging through inflammatory,immune, vascular, and neuroendocrine signaling.Here we examine how skin-based biomarkers andfunctional endpoints can support three translationalpriorities: aligning interventions with heterogeneousaging trajectories, defining functionally meaningful outcome measures, and responsibly integratingemerging diagnostic technologies. Anchoring gero-therapeutic development in dermatologic science mayaccelerate validation of interventions aimed at pre-serving resilience, physiological function, and inde-pendence across the lifespan.
Keywords : Gerotherapeutics · Skin biomarkers ·Skin aging · Hallmarks of aging · Translationaldermatology
