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Why some women look young for their age
David A Gunn1, Helle Rexbye, Christopher E M Griffiths
1Unilever Discover, Sharnbrook, Bedfordshire, United Kingdom. david.gunn@unilever.com
Plos One
|December 4, 2009
Summary
Women who appear younger for their age often have larger lips and avoid sun exposure. Genetics play a role in skin wrinkles and gray hair, while environmental factors influence hair thinning.
Area of Science:
- Dermatology and aging research.
- Genetics and environmental influences on appearance.
Background:
- The cosmetics industry is driven by the desire to appear youthful.
- Key determinants of perceived age and the genetic versus environmental contributions are not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify facial features associated with perceived age in women.
- To investigate the heritability of these facial aging features.
Main Methods:
- Studied facial appearance in Danish and British female cohorts.
- Analyzed correlations between features (wrinkles, gray hair, lip height, sun damage) and perceived age.
- Conducted heritability analyses on appearance features.
Main Results:
- Skin wrinkling, gray hair, and lip height significantly correlate with perceived age.
- Sun damage appearance is linked to perceived age, primarily through its association with wrinkles.
- Perceived age, age spots, wrinkles, and sun damage show equal genetic and environmental influence.
- Graying hair, hairline recession, and lip height are primarily genetic; hair thinning is environmental.
Conclusions:
- Women appearing younger have larger lips, avoid sun, and possess protective genetics for skin and hair.
- Perceived age is a more effective biomarker for skin, hair, and facial aging than chronological age.
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