Little wrinkles on your face that slowly set in are a sure sign you are getting older.

While most people want to get old, they do not want to look old. So many turn to creams, moisturisers and face masks, even injections or cosmetic surgery, for younger-looking skin.

Skin ageing is perfectly normal and begins in earnest around the age of 25. One reason is that skin cells are not as active as before that point, says Dr Christiane Bayerl, director of the department of dermatology and allergology – the study of allergies – at the Helios Dr Horst Schmidt Clinics in Germany.

As a result, the number of collagen and elastin fibres in the dermis – the middle section of your skin – decreases. Collagen is a protein that provides strength to your skin and helps it retain moisture, and elastin is a protein that gives it elasticity.

As you age, your skin becomes drier, less firm and wrinkles develop. The speed of this process depends on various factors.