Cleveland Twin Sisters Study: How Lifestyle Affects Facial Aging

[This report started yesterday.]

Lifestyle Choices that Age the Skin and Face

Smoking: The most dramatic premature facial aging was associated with smoking. The longer a twin smoked, the older she appeared. In fact every 10 years a woman smoked added an average of 2 ½ years to her perceived age.

As well, uneven skin tone, prominent “age spots” and slack skin under the eyes were more common in smokers’ faces. Dr. Guyuron commented, “When I see the festoons of loose skin [under patients’ eyes], I don’t have to ask if they smoke. I know they do.”

Sun Exposure: Increased sun exposure was associated with an older appearance. Further, the visible damage accelerated with age. Other lifestyle factors besides sunbathing outdoors or in tanning parlors that correlated with visible UV damage were a history of outdoor activities and lack of sunscreen use.

Dark and patchy skin discoloration was also more common in twins with a history of sun exposure.

Dr. Guyuron added that UV light also reduces skin’s elasticity, increasing wrinkles and deepening creases.

Weight: Here the picture is interestingly mixed.

Being 20 to 24 pounds heavier in the 20s and 30s aged faces because youthful facial contours – cheekbones and a well-defined jawline – were obscured.

However after age 40, a similar weight increment made women’s faces appear younger since the additional fat plumps the skin and compensates for the typical loss of collagen which begins when hormone production slows.

Higher weight increments (in the 40 to 50 pound range) were a bit dicier. Of course there are other health consequences to consider with such extra poundage; but as far as facial appearance goes, a woman between the ages of 40 and 55 (on average) looked considerably older.

However after age 55, faces of those with 40 to 50 extra pounds had a younger appearance. This may again be attributable to excess fat compensating for loss of facial collagen.

On the plus side, the heavier twins tended to have more even skin tone and thicker hair.

Tomorrow – more lifestyle choices as well as factors beyond one’s control which cause premature facial aging.

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