Concerns
Healthy ageing and skin
You feel well and want to keep it that way. Perhaps you have noticed that recovery takes longer, that your skin has changed, or that you think more often about how you want to feel in twenty years.
It is a wise place to start. How you age depends more on how you live than on your genes, and much of what decides it shows in your blood long before it causes problems.
Does this sound familiar?
- You feel well but want to know you are on the right track.
- Recovery after training or a late night takes longer than it used to.
- Your skin has become drier or thinner.
- You have seen parents or friends fall ill and want to do what you can.
- You have had an ordinary health check but wonder what it really tells you.
Why does an ordinary health check say so little?
An ordinary health check is built to find disease that is already there. It usually measures total cholesterol and blood sugar, but rarely ApoB, fasting insulin, hs-CRP or cystatin C, which show where you are heading.
And a value within the reference range means you are not ill today, not that you are ageing as well as you could.
With us, we measure the markers that track how you are ageing, and we follow them over time with you.
What happens as we age?
Over the years muscle mass falls, cells become less sensitive to insulin, and low-grade inflammation can increase. Blood vessels are affected by blood lipids and blood pressure, and kidney function slowly declines.
Skin becomes thinner and drier as collagen falls, and it is affected by sun, smoking, sleep and blood sugar. Most of this can be influenced, and it shows in the blood long before you notice it.
What affects how you age
The people who ask us about healthy ageing usually feel well, and that is a good place to start.
Blood sugar and insulin
Fasting insulin often rises years before blood sugar changes.
Read the guide: Blood sugar and diabetes risk →Inflammation
Low-grade inflammation is linked to faster ageing of the heart and blood vessels.
Read the guide: Healthspan and ageing →Blood lipids
ApoB and Lp(a) say more about heart risk than total cholesterol.
Read the guide: Cholesterol and heart risk →Muscle and movement
Muscle strength is one of the strongest measures of health as we get older.
Read the guide: Fitness and performance →Skin
Skin reflects sleep, blood sugar, smoking, sun and nutrition. Protein, vitamin D and fat from fish affect how it looks and feels.
Hormones
The menopause and falling testosterone affect skin, muscle and bone.
Read the guide: Hormone balance →What you can do yourself
- Do strength training twice a week. Muscle strength is one of the strongest measures of health as we get older.
- Move so that you get out of breath a few times a week.
- Eat protein with every meal, and vegetables, fish and unprocessed food.
- Protect your skin from the sun and do not smoke.
- Sleep seven to eight hours.
- Have a blood test once a year, so you can see the trend.
What we look at
Your health and your history
How you feel today, illness in your family, previous results and what you want to be able to do in ten or twenty years.
Food, sleep, movement and strength
How you eat, sleep and train, and whether you do strength training.
Tests with a purpose
We only suggest tests that could change the next step. Here that often means ApoB, Lp(a), fasting insulin, HbA1c, hs-CRP, cystatin C and vitamin D.
Tests that may be relevant
How it works
Four steps
- 01
Tell us about you
You fill in a health questionnaire about your symptoms, your sleep, what you eat and your daily life.
- 02
Take your blood test
You give a blood sample at a lab near you, in Stockholm or at any of more than 100 sampling locations across Sweden. We help you choose the tests that answer your questions.
- 03
Go through your results
You receive a personal health report and a session with one of our practitioners, and we make a plan together.
- 04
Follow up
We follow how you are getting on and adjust the plan. A new blood test after three to six months shows how your results have changed.
When to get medical help
Contact your health centre soon if you also have any of these:
- You have a mole that is growing, changing colour or bleeding.
- You have chest pain or breathlessness on exertion.
- You are losing weight without explanation.
- You notice memory problems that are getting worse quickly.
Call 112 in an emergency. Call 1177 for advice on where to get care.
Frequently asked questions
Can you influence how you age?
Yes, to a large extent. Movement, muscle strength, sleep, not smoking and drinking little alcohol have strong research behind them. Blood tests show where you stand and whether what you do is working.
What is the difference between anti-ageing and healthy ageing?
Anti-ageing is often about creams and appearance. Healthy ageing is about keeping your energy, strength and health for as long as possible. Your skin benefits from the same things as the rest of your body.
Does diet affect the skin?
Yes. Protein, fat from fish, vegetables and enough vitamin D and zinc affect the skin, as do sleep and blood sugar. A lot of sugar and alcohol can also show in the skin over time.
What is included in a Health Assessment?
A health questionnaire, a personal health report and a short session with one of our practitioners. You add the blood test depending on what you want to look into, and we help you choose. If you have a long-term condition and want to find out whether your diet and lifestyle may be contributing, or you need a referral to our doctor, we also offer longer appointments.
Do I need a referral?
No. You book yourself, and the blood sample is taken at a lab near you. We have sampling locations in Stockholm and at more than 100 places across Sweden.
Would you like help following how you are ageing? Read about the Health Assessment →
Read more
Sources
Reviewed by
Wellth Team
Wellth
Our content is written and reviewed by Wellth, and fact-checked against peer-reviewed research and current Swedish clinical guidelines.
Learn more about our team →Important to know
Wellth does not diagnose or treat disease. We work with diet, lifestyle and preventive health, alongside the care you already have.
Our reports and sessions do not replace medical advice, and a test result should not be read as a diagnosis. We use both standard healthcare reference ranges and optimal ranges. A value can therefore be normal by healthcare standards and still fall outside the range associated with good health. That does not mean disease, but it can be a chance to act early.
Supplements are only recommended by a nutritional therapist as part of a consultation, never automatically from a test result.
If anything in your results needs to be looked at by a doctor, we will tell you clearly. Contact your healthcare provider if you are worried about your health. Call 1177 for advice, or 112 in an emergency.