Looking old? New study says its not your genes!

Got wrinkles?

Scottsdale – Got wrinkles? Well, it may not be your genes! A newly published study from the Case Western Reserve School of Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio, demonstrates how environmental factors can affect aging and skin cancer risks. According to the research, the team studied 130 twins, 18 to 77 years old, who lived mostly in the northern Midwest and Eastern parts of the country, who were attending the Twins Days Festival in Ohio in 2002.

The researchers looked at the twins Fitzpatrick type (which tells us about the amount of pigment on the skin), history of skin cancer, smoking habits, alcohol consumption, and weight from the twins. The clinicians then assigned a clinical photodamage score to each participant. Each of the twins reported how their skin burned or tanned without sunscreen.

Identical twins share all of their genes and fraternal twins share only about half. The premise of the study is that because twins share genes, but may have different exposures to environmental factors, the study, “allows to control for genetic  susceptibility”, said Dr. Elma D. Baron in the article published in Archives of Dermatology.

Once the data was obtained, the researchers analyzed the environmental skin-damaging factors in 65 pairs of twins. The results suggest that aging of facial skin is related more to environmental and lifestyle exposures than to genetic factors. The research did suggest that when it comes to skin cancer, findings support previous reports that both environmental and genetic factors affect skin cancer risk.

The clinical team’s analysis revealed a strong relationship between smoking, older age, and being overweight, and having facial skin with evidence of environmental damage (and looking older). They also found that sunscreen use and drinking alcohol appeared to correlate with lesser skin damage. The current findings highlight ties between facial aging and potentially avoidable environmental factors, such as, smoking, being overweight, and unprotected exposure to the sunlight. The researchers hope the findings help motivate people to minimize risky behaviors and avoid facial wrinkles.

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Source: Reuters Health