Study of dozens of identical twins reveals shocking effect bad diet and divorce has on your face
Shocking images of identical twins who live very different lives, reveal the damaging effects smoking, bad diet, divorce and sun can have on our faces.
Researchers looked at 186 sibling pairs to see how they had aged differently due to various contrasting lifestyle factors.
A professional photographer took standardized, close-up photographs of each twin’s face and the participants completed questionnaires regarding their medical and lifestyle histories.
Without knowledge of the twins’ backgrounds, plastic surgeons then analyzed the twins’ facial features, including grading of wrinkles and age-related facial features.
Among the most startling disparities were 27-year-old twins Dina and Gina (seen below).
As Gina weighed 50lbs more than her twin when their portraits were taken, the researchers said she looked markedly older with a rounder, less defined face.
The researchers also looked at how marital status can impact the way we look. They found women who had been divorced looked older than their married or single counterparts.
The twin who was divorced appeared about 1.7 years older than the twin who was not divorced. Falling into this category were 54-year-old twins Janet and Jean (also below).
Among the most startling disparities were 27-year-old twins Dina and Gina. As Gina (left) weighed 50lbs more than her twin when their portraits were taken, the researchers said she looked markedly older with a rounder, less defined face
They found women who had been divorced looked older than their married or single counterpart. Falling into this category were 54-year-old twins Janet and Jean. Divorcee Jean (left) was found to look older than Janet, who had been married for more than three decades
Jean was found to look older than Janet with darker undereye area, pronounced smile lines and ‘numerous and deeper vertical frown lines’.
Dr Bahman Guyuron, a plastic surgeon in Cleveland, Ohio, and the lead author of the study, suggested that this was probably because Jean was divorced after 27 years of marriage.
Her situation contrasted to Janet, who had been married for more than three decades.
Dr Guyuron highlights that relationship woes can have an impact on appearance, with chronic stress damaging DNA and causing inflammation.
Other jaw-dropping comparisons emerged between pairs of identical twins where one smoked and the other didn’t.
In some cases, the perceived age difference of the twins was more than eight years.
With Brenda, 52, who took part in the study, plastic surgeons thought she was 6.25 years older than her identical twin Barb (seen below).
This was down to her smoking habit of half a pack a day for 14 years, 14 hours of sun exposure a week and lower body mass index.
Commenting on this case, Dr Guyuron said: ‘The festoons of loose skin under Brenda’s eyes are attributable to her cigarette habit.
‘When I see that [on patients], I don’t have to ask if they smoke. I know they do.’
Twins (natural age 52) with difference in smoking history. Twin A (left) had a 20-year greater smoking history than Twin B (right). Perceived age difference of the twins was 6.25 years
When it came to smoking, the researchers said the longer the twin smoked, the older they appeared. It took just five years of smoking to see a difference between the twins (Above left shows a photo of the twin who smoked and right, the twin who was a non-smoker
Meanwhile, sun exposure was found to be as equally as harmful to facial skin.
In one case, a 61-year-old woman called Susan had 10 hours more of sun exposure than her identical twin Jeanne per week (seen below).
She also smoked for 16 years of her life.
As a result, she was estimated to be 11.25 years older, with many age spots and patches of discoloration on her face, along with deeper wrinkles.
The difference between them was exacerbated by the fact her twin Jeanne also had a higher body mass index (2.7 points higher), which the researchers said makes subjects look more youthful after the age of 40 due to a plumper visage.
Interestingly, this phenomenon is reversed for twins under the age of 40, with a higher body mass index associated with an older appearance.
Twins (natural age 61) with a significant difference in sun exposure. Twin B (left) had approximately 10 hours per week greater sun exposure than Twin A (right)
Twin A (right) also had a body mass index 2.7 points higher than that of Twin B, which added to her youthful appearance. The perceived age difference was 11.25 years
Hormone replacement therapy was found to be another factor which caused twin sets to age slightly differently (SEEN BELOW).
Estrogen and progesterone replacements were associated with a younger perceived appearance.
As the age of the twin set increased, the effect of the hormone replacement therapy on age increased slightly.
Also, larger differences of years of hormone therapy between the twins resulted in younger perceived age of the twin on hormone replacement therapy.
Commenting on this trend, the researchers said: ‘The role of hormones in aging is not… clearly defined.
‘In females, estrogen contributes to the thickness and elasticity of the skin, although the mechanism is not clearly defined.
‘Decrease of estrogen at menopause may lead to visible signs of facial aging, while hormone replacement therapy may potentially counteract these sequelae.
‘Additionally, hormonal imbalance results in male pattern alopecia and a receding hairline.’
The results were more definitive when it came to smoking, with the researchers confirming the longer the twin smoked, the older they appeared.
It took just five years of smoking to see a difference between the twins and each ten years of smoking was found to add 2.5 years to the smoker’s estimated age.
The smokers had more sagging of the upper eyelids, as well as more bags of the lower eyelids and under the eyes.
Twins (natural age 57) with difference in smoking history. Twin B (left) had a 40-year greater smoking history than Twin A (right). The perceived age difference was 8.25 years
Twin A (right) also had two years of hormone replacement therapy
Twins who smoked also had higher scores for facial wrinkles, including more pronounced nasolabial folds (lines between the nose and mouth), wrinkling of the upper and lower lips and sagging jowls.
Smoking reduces oxygen to the skin, which also decreases blood circulation, and that can result in weathered, wrinkled, older-looking skin, explains Dr Guyuron.
Twins with a longer duration of smoking had worse scores for bags on the lower lids and under the eyes and lower lip wrinkles.
Twins (natural age 71) with difference in hormone replacement therapy. Twin B (right) had 22 more years of hormone replacement therapy than Twin A (left)
Twin B (right) also had a 1.2 lower body mass index which could make her look older. Perceived age difference was 7.25 years
Most of the smoking-related differences affected the middle and lower thirds of the face.
There were fewer differences in aging of the upper face, such as forehead lines or ‘crow’s feet’ around the eyes.
Overall, the research found the smokers had worse scores for upper eyelid skin redundancy, lower lid bags, malar bags, nasolabial folds, upper lip wrinkles, lower lip vermillion wrinkles, and jowls.
The report also warns smokers, that no matter how long they’ve been addicted to the habit, stopping or cutting back now can make a big difference to all aspects of a person’s health, including skin damage to their face.
‘It is noteworthy that even among sets of twins where both are smokers, a difference in five years or more of smoking duration can cause visibly identifiable changes in facial aging,’ wrote Dr Guyuron.
Summing up the findings of his study across all of the lifestyle factors, he concluded: ‘Multiple environmental factors may contribute to facial aging.
Twins (natural age 58) with differences in body mass index. Twin A (right) had a 14.7-point higher body mass index than Twin B. No other differences between these twins were discerned from the questionnaire. Perceived age difference was 5.25 years
‘This analysis of [identical] twins inherently allowed for the control of the genetic influences of aging.’
The subjects were interviewed and photographed during the Twins Day Festival in Twinsburg, Ohio, in 2009.
The event, which started in 1976, is now the world’s largest annual gathering of twins, with more than 30,000 attendees.
