Skin Growth Mechanisms: Insights into Homeostasis, Aging, and Disease

The skin is a dynamic organ that constantly renews itself through tightly regulated growth and differentiation. Basal stem cells divide to replace lost or damaged cells, while progenitor cells differentiate to form the stratified layers of the epidermis. Proper coordination between proliferation, differentiation, and cell death is essential for maintaining skin homeostasis. Skin cells communicate through molecular signaling pathways that act as a “language” that allows cells to sense their environment, coordinate repair, and maintain tissue integrity.

Aging disrupts this balance. With time, the proliferative capacity of stem cells declines, signaling networks weaken, and the epidermis thins. Senescent cells accumulate and produce inflammatory molecules that impair communication and regeneration. Environmental factors, such as UV radiation, oxidative stress, and pollution, exacerbate these effects, accelerating tissue aging and increasing vulnerability to damage. Aging skin shows reduced barrier function, slower wound healing, and higher susceptibility to diseases, including hyperproliferative disorders and cancers.

Disruption of growth control mechanisms also underlies skin disease. Overactive proliferation can lead to psoriasis or skin cancer, whereas insufficient growth contributes to chronic wounds and atrophic skin. Understanding how skin communicates to regulate growth provides opportunities to restore homeostasis, enhance regeneration, and develop targeted therapies for aging and disease.

Key research areas include but not limited to:

• Mapping epidermal stem cell signaling networks in homeostasis and repair

• Understanding cellular communication changes during skin aging

• Studying environmental impacts on skin proliferation, senescence, and regeneration

• Exploring molecular drivers of hyperproliferative skin disorders and cancers

• Identifying factors that impair wound healing and barrier function

• Translating mechanistic insights into therapies for aging and skin disease

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• ... View all formats

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Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Skin growth, homeostasis, aging, cellular signaling, skin disease

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.