"The children in school grew up so fast. They, like their parents, went about their professional career. In a flash they became gray and grizzled, and were getting tired of life."
Is there a better expression than "gray and grizzled"? I want to express the subject's appearance getting older, their skin with more and more wrinkles, their face with increasing spots, and hair turning gray. Is there an expression or word that would vividly depict this feeling of "getting older in appearance"?
There are a number of different words that could do the trick. The most common being "to age":
to become old or older http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/age
There's olden: Def. 1) intr. To grow old, to become old in appearance or character, to age
Def 2) trans. To cause to grow old, to make older in appearance or character, to age Source: OED2
There's veterate: "To wax [become] old"
and the adjective veterascent: "Growing old" Source: OED2
Finally, if you're looking for a word that means deteriorate with age you can look at senesce: "(Of a living organism) deteriorate with age" Source: http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/senesce
I agree with the idea of @Mari-Lou A's comment - sorry, can't yet comment myself - that you'd get the best imagery with details about the subject's appearance, as you've already done in your question. I can picture the people being like overripe, decomposing fruit, which is my suggestion if you want a simile.
For a word, I also suggest
timeworn - showing the effects of age or antiquity
Wizened, "to become dry, shrunken, and wrinkled often as a result of aging or of failing vitality."
By Dr. Strange's "hoary hosts of Hoggoth":
Gray, old and gray, covered in gray and white hairs.
Another possibility is decrepit, meaning "wasted and weakened by or as if by the infirmities of old age."
In a flash they became gray and saggy
OR
gray and sagging
wrinkled
In a flash they became gray and wrinkled
from MIB III, you got some city miles on you!
