Cleveland Twin Sisters Study: How Lifestyle Affects Facial Aging

[This report started Saturday.]

Excess Alcohol Consumption: Women who didn’t drink looked younger than the twins who did. The questionnaire didn’t track the amount or type of alcohol consumed, so the study doesn’t help quantify how much alcohol is too much.

We do know that moderate consumption of alcohol reduces other disease risks and that the Resveratrol in wine has health benefits.

On the other hand, we know that excess alcohol consumption damages blood vessels in the skin. Also, “the liver plays a major role in the quantity and quality of the collagen fibers within the skin layers,” Dr. Guyuron explains. Therefore liver damage caused by heavy drinking impairs the skin’s ability to produce healthy collagen.

HRT: Twins who used hormone replacement had a younger appearance. The longer a woman took birth control pills or hormone-replacement therapy, and the higher the dose, the more likely she was to look younger.

Although estrogen replacement therapy is contraindicated for some women and poses health risks as well as benefits, Dr. Guyuron says there is no question that “estrogen improves skin elasticity”.

HRT also correlated with healthier looking thicker hair.

Factors Less under One’s Control
The study also found significant correlations with some factors over which people have little or no control.

Depression: Twins who reported battling depression look older. Sadder facial expressions give the face a saggy look. The effect was more pronounced in those taking antidepressants. Dr. Guyuron notes that certain depression-relieving drugs can weaken eye muscles, causing the area to look even droopier.

Marital Status: Divorced women were perceived to look 1.7 years older that their married or single twins; while widows looked 2 years younger.

Skin Cancer: Wrinkles were more evident in twins with a history of skin cancer and hair was thinner.

You can read the research article abstract or purchase the full article here.

See the Allure story reported on MSNBC including some pretty convincing comparative photos here.

Tags: premature aging, twin study on aging, lifestyle choices cause premature aging, smoking affects skin age, sun affects skin age, weight affects skin age, excess alcohol affects skin age, HRT affects skin age