The answer is loss of elasticity. Milady names this specifically: "one of the most prominent characteristics of aged skin is its loss of elasticity."
Blackhead formation is tied to clogged pores and oil production, not to the aging process specifically — it's not the characteristic the textbook associates with aged skin. Reduced elasticity, on the other hand, is the direct, named result of the skin's connective tissue changing over time.
Why this trips people up: this question was keyed to "blackhead formation" until a July 2026 textbook audit found the real Milady sentence pointing at loss of elasticity instead.
Milady Standard Barbering, 6th ed., Ch. 9, p. 226: "One of the most prominent characteristics of aged skin is its loss of elasticity."
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More real Skin Science questions with sourced answers: Which Skin Function Protects the Body From the Environment, Which Massage Manipulation Is Proven to Boost Skin Circulation.
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