Age-related evolutions of the dermis: Clinical signs, fibroblast and extracellular matrix dynamics

•Deciphering the processes of skin evolution through ageing is an active domain.•This article reviews dermis evolutions from intra‐uterine to post-natal life.•Changes occurring at the tissue, cells, and molecular levels, are presented.•The importance of fibroblasts and extracellular matrix component is detailed.•The complexity and involvement of multiple actors in dermis ageing are highlighted. Ageing is today a major societal concern that is intrinsically associated with the increase of life expectancy. Outside the context of severe degenerative diseases that affect the elderly populations, normal visible signs of ageing, notably skin sagging and wrinkles, influence the social and individual perception of peoples. Accordingly, there is a strong demand for researches on skin ageing. Deciphering the cellular and molecular processes of skin evolution through ageing is thus an active scientific domain, at the frontier of tissue developmental and ageing biology. The focus of the present article is to provide an overview of the current knowledge concerning the evolution of dermis characteristics at different life stages, from intra‐uterine to post-natal life. The description will integrate stage-specific and age-related changes in dermis characteristics at the tissue, cell, and molecular levels.