This is a two-fer. Please read on.
As we age, it’s a fact that our skin thins. Our veins become more visible. It’s not pretty. But there’s a few things we can do about it, which I explain later in this post. At least, we aging adults have an excuse for our thin skin!
WTH is everyone else’s excuse! What has happened in this world? Why is everyone so thin-skinned? When did we all become oversensitive punks? (I wanted to say bitches, but then someone would be offended.) Everyone is offended about everything. We used to be able to laugh it off. Remember laughing? Remember jokes?
When we were kids we sat around and had “your momma” battles. We made fun of each other and remained friends to this day. We knew how to take a joke. No one took their marbles, went home, crawled under their beds and died.
Laughter is so important. And being able to laugh at yourself is healthy. I’ve been saying for a while now that social media is a double-edged sword. As is the internet. It is great to be able to access information quickly, but even that can be a problem. If you are doing research for school, it’s a great tool. Looking for ways to poison folks or blow shit up? Not so much.
You want to share useful and helpful info? It’s great. Want to tell stories without the need for a book deal and publisher? It works! Spreading lies and rumors? Not so much. Falsely accusing people of things, stalking folks and just being an overall A-hole? All bad.
But I digress. You know who I feel sorry for? Comedians. This thin-skinned culture has all but shut down comedy. Comedians can’t say anything that doesn’t offend someone! Even the equal opportunity ones that make fun of everything and everyone, catch hell. Most of them are making fun of themselves and their families.
I recently watched Eddie Murphy’s first or second HBO comedy special. I think it was the late 80’s, but don’t quote me. It was hilarious. You think Aunt Bunny with the mustache disowned him about making fun of her meno-stache? That show would have offended more than half the population today but was considered a hit back then. (When skin wasn’t thin!)
Hell, half the SNL sketches back in the day, wouldn’t go over too well with most today. I’m surprised they haven’t picketed Rockefeller Plaza by now. (The Boomers video 3/27/21 was pretty damn funny!) Maybe all the sensitive people go to bed before it comes on! Or they just know enough not to watch because they won’t find it funny. You do have that option! Again, just don’t watch. But don’t ruin it for the rest of us.
You know what offends me? The red half of the senate! You want something to be offended about? There it is! But back to jokes. (Because that whole situation isn’t funny at all. Yet doesn’t seem to offend 70 million people in this country! Agent orange can mock the handicap at his rallies and still get votes, but Bill Burr can’t tell his jokes!) What in the entire #%ck? (That was inspired by Marlon Wayans! His show was funny as hell. They need a reboot!)
My mother used to say and I’m sure you’ve heard this saying, although I might not have it word for word. It went something like, “there’s truth hidden in every joke!” Of course, there is!
That’s what makes it funny! We can relate to it.
Bill Burr is hilarious to me. He stays in hot water over his jokes. Even when middle aged women are the butt of the joke, I’m not offended. Most, if not all of it is true. And that’s what it is. The truth hurts sometimes. But you accept it and keep it moving. Again, it’s about the ability to laugh at yourself. If you know that you are unable to do this, you have choices!
Don’t go to the show.
Don’t listen to it.
Don’t watch it.
Don’t read it.
Leave.
Bill’s not going to come to your house and make fun of you. You went there. You went to his house! If you don’t have a sense of humor, or are easily offended, STHH. (stay-the-hell-home! For the slower or older folks) Just keep your thin-skint (I meant to spell it that way!) ass home and watch re-runs of Mayberry where I’m sure there’s something in there you can be offended about if you pay attention. (I just don’t remember! Because it didn’t scar me for life.)
Now if you are interested. As far as actual skin thinning associated with aging, the best cure is always prevention! Our skin is our largest and most visible organ. It needs protection and care! Environmental and lifestyle choices may result in premature skin aging. Obviously, there are some genetics at play, but as with most things, genetics loads the gun, but lifestyle pulls the trigger.
As we age, we produce less collagen. And collagen is what helps prevent sagging, wrinkles and loss of moisture. With less collagen, our skin isn’t quite as efficient at repairing itself. The result is thin skin! (But I bet we still have our sense of humor!)
Ultraviolet light has a huge impact on the thickness, or thinness of aging skin. Dermatoporosis is the fancy name for fragile, thinning skin. The dermis layer loses collagen and as a result, volume. Tanning beds and sunbathing are typically the issue for non-women of color. (Part of the reason, black doesn’t crack or cracks more slowly!)
So, what can we all do! Even those less affected?
Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize.
Vitamin C is great, both orally and topically as a serum. Omega-3 fatty acid found in wild salmon among other things, collagen by way of supplements or found in bone broth, as well as evening primrose oil can work wonders on our skin.
And as far as being thin skinned I saw a great quote on Instagram.
It said something like, “being offended by something on social media (or at a comedy show or any place else for that matter!) is like intentionally stepping in dog shit when you could have just walked around it.”
Moisturize. Feed your skin well and keep laughing.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5788262/