Cutaneous immune system: Age specificities

Abstract

The review is dedicated to the modern concepts in understanding the age-related changes of skin protective functions, with an emphasis on the impairments in interaction between the immune cells of innate and acquired immunity, resulting in a decrease in antigen-specific T cell immune surveillance in the skin. We discuss the various defects of T cells and their environment as well as focus on the issue of possible correction of T-reg and other cells activity in the skin which would increase the level of immune surveillance in elderly persons and reduce the risk of malignant neoplasms or skin infections developing.