- Skin tears are the most common wound type in people over 65 in Australia
- The primary cause is not just thinning skin but a decline in the skin's oil production, which weakens the barrier from the inside
- Consistent moisturiser use is one of the most well-supported interventions for preventing skin tears in older adults
- Most moisturisers address the water component of the barrier. The oil component is what is actually depleted
- Calm+ and Restore+ are formulated around macadamia oil, which replenishes omega-7, the same fatty acid the skin produces naturally and that declines significantly after 60
My mother-in-law used to say that her skin had become embarrassing. Not because of how it looked, but because of what it did. A brush against a door handle. A knock from a shopping bag. Minor things that left marks or tears that took weeks to settle.
She was not exaggerating the fragility. She was, like many people her age, experiencing something physiological and largely preventable.
What is actually happening to the skin
Skin tears are not simply a matter of the skin getting thinner, though it does. The epidermis thins. The layer between the epidermis and dermis flattens out, which means the two layers slide against each other more easily instead of locking together. The dermis itself loses collagen and elasticity.
But underneath all of that is a less-discussed change: the sebaceous glands slow down.
These glands produce the oils that form the structural lipid layer of the skin barrier. By age 70, sebum production has dropped by more than half compared to the skin's peak output. The fatty acids that keep the barrier flexible and resilient, particularly palmitoleic acid (omega-7), are produced in far smaller quantities.
When the lipid layer thins, the barrier cannot respond to stress the way it once could. A gentle knock that healthy skin would absorb instead creates a shear force on tissue that has lost its flexibility. That is what a skin tear is. It is not a failure of the skin to be tough enough. It is a failure of the barrier to have the materials it needs to function.
Why this is largely preventable
Research into skin care in aged care settings has shown consistently that regular moisturiser use reduces the incidence of skin tears in older adults significantly. The intervention is simple. The challenge is that most of the moisturisers people reach for address the water component of the barrier without addressing the oil component.
A product that replaces only water does not restore barrier flexibility. It makes the surface feel softer temporarily, but it does not rebuild the structural integrity that prevents tearing. A product that also replenishes the lipid component addresses the actual cause.
What the lipid replenishment actually does
Palmitoleic acid (omega-7) is a fatty acid found naturally in the skin's sebum. It integrates into the skin barrier rather than sitting on top of it. When it is replenished consistently, the barrier becomes more resilient to the mechanical stress that causes tears.
Macadamia oil contains 17-22% omega-7, one of the highest concentrations found in any botanical source suitable for daily leave-on use. Calm+ uses this as its active ingredient for daily barrier maintenance. Restore+ is a heavier cream formulation for areas that are more significantly depleted or have already started to break down.
How to think about the two products
Calm+ is for consistent, whole-body barrier support. Morning and evening, applied after bathing while the skin is still slightly damp, it gives the barrier the lipid replenishment it cannot produce in sufficient quantities on its own.
Restore+ is for areas with more advanced thinning or damage. Shins, forearms, the backs of hands. Places that have already started to crack or that are obviously more fragile than the surrounding skin. A richer, more occlusive formulation that stays on the surface longer and provides more intensive support between applications.
Many people use both. Calm+ for the body generally, Restore+ for the areas that need more.
The practical difference
Starting consistent lipid replenishment before significant damage is established is meaningfully easier than trying to rebuild a barrier that has already deteriorated badly. The skin that receives consistent support at sixty responds better than the skin at seventy that has been using water-based products for a decade.
This is not about looking younger. It is about the skin maintaining its basic function as a barrier for longer. That matters for comfort, for independence, and for avoiding the infections and complications that skin tears can lead to in older adults.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does elderly skin tear so easily?
Skin tears easily in older adults because of multiple age-related changes: thinning of the skin layers, flattening of the junction between layers, and a significant decline in sebum production. The reduced oil layer makes the barrier less flexible and less able to absorb mechanical stress.
Is there a lotion that prevents skin tears in the elderly?
Research consistently supports regular moisturiser use as one of the most effective preventive measures for skin tears in older adults. Products that include both water-retaining and lipid-replenishing ingredients address more of the underlying barrier deficit than standard water-based moisturisers.
What is the best moisturiser for thinning skin after 60?
The most effective approach is a fragrance-free product applied twice daily that addresses the lipid component of the skin barrier, not just the water component. Macadamia oil, which contains 17-22% omega-7 (palmitoleic acid), replenishes the specific fatty acid that the skin's sebaceous glands produce in declining quantities as we age.
How do I tell if my skin is depleted vs. just dry?
Standard dry skin responds relatively well to standard moisturisers applied consistently. Depleted skin tends to feel soft immediately after application but returns to dry quickly, forms cracks in specific areas (shins, heels, backs of hands), and bruises or tears from minor contact that would not normally cause damage. If this pattern sounds familiar, the barrier is likely lipid-depleted rather than simply in need of more water.
Can skin tears be prevented with moisturiser alone?
Regular moisturiser use is one of the most important preventive steps. Other measures include wearing protective clothing on vulnerable areas, avoiding harsh soaps, and patting skin dry rather than rubbing. Consistent lipid replenishment through appropriate moisturisers addresses the structural cause of the fragility.
The skin my mother-in-law thought was embarrassing was doing something normal for its age. The embarrassment was not necessary. What it needed was what the body had stopped supplying.
Consistent use of something that addresses that deficit is not a complicated fix. But it does require choosing the right product.