A new study of twins from researchers at Case Western Reserve Medical School in Cleveland showed that smoking, being overweight and not using sunscreen all take an additional toll on sun-damaged skin.

According to the authors, long-term sun exposure causes physical and structural changes to the skin that damages the skin. But while usual skin aging is characterized by the development of fine wrinkles and skin growths, sun-damaged skin includes more coarsely wrinkled skin, spots of extra pigment or lost pigment and dilated blood vessels on the face.

The researchers said that 40 percent of aging-related changes are due to lifestyle or environmental factors, not only from a person's genetics. This new study in twins seems to show that.

In this study, reseachers collected data on 65 pairs of twins (both identical and fraternal) who attended the 2002 annual Twin Days Festival in Twinsburg, Ohio. They asked each participant about skin type, history of skin cancer, smoking, drinking habits and weight.

The overweight-wrinkle connection isn't so obvious. Often, weight makes people look older but it can also hide skin damage as the weight fills out their face. They won't look as wrinkly because the fat on their face is plumping out their skin.

The team also find that the skin cancer rate among the twins was found to be higher than it is in the general population.

The author wrote that the Twins Days Festival provides a rare opportunity to study a large number of twin pairs to control for genetic susceptibility. The relationships found between smoking, weight, sunscreen use, skin cancer and photodamage in these twin pairs may help to motivate the reduction of risky behaviors.


Sun, Smoke, Extra Weight Add Years to Skin