Why a year is a long time in the life of your face

From loss of facial bone to fading follicles and shedding skin cells, Tanith Carey looks at what happens to your face and hair over the course of 365 days

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While you may look the same in the mirror day-to-day, your face and hair are going through an incredible range of changes.

YOU LOSE 1,825 BILLION SKIN CELLS

In one day, you lose almost five billion skin cells, according to scientists at Imperial College, London. That adds up to a staggering 1,825 billion a year. This is because new skin cells are constantly moving up to the surface - or stratum corneum - from the epidermis underneath where they are made.

When they reach the top, the upper four or five layers are no longer alive and are shed. As we age however, the rate at which we produce and shed skin cells starts to slow down.

In your early 20s, it takes around three weeks for new skin cells to rise to the surface. By your 60s, it takes up to three times longer. The result can be a build-up of old cells on your skin surface, making your complexion look dull.

How to help:

To speed up the process of shedding dead skin cells, look for cleansers, serums or moisturisers that contain retinoids or alpha hydroxy acids. Research published in the journal Cutis in 2002 says these help to loosen up the glue-like substance that holds dead skin cells together, to reveal a fresher complexion underneath.

YOUR HAIR GETS 1% PALER

We start going grey on average around age 40. This is because over time the melanocytes - the tiny pigment-producing cells in the hair follicle that inject colour into your hair as it grows - start to wear out. Even if you don't go white, your hair colour will fade every year.