Twins study shows smoking ages your face faster

(CNN) -- Here's something to think about the next time you put a cigarette to
your lips: The skin around those lips is going to look older, faster.
You're also more likely to get bags under your eyes sooner. And jowls.
And more wrinkles around those lips.

Researchers in Ohio studied the physical differences between the faces of
nonsmokers and their twins who smoked and found confirmation of a long-held
belief: Smoking does indeed age you.

The study, by researchers at the Department of Plastic Surgery at Case
Western Reserve University, looked at 79 sets of twins between the ages of
18 and 78 at the annual August gathering of twins in Twinsburg, Ohio. Each
person had his or her picture taken by a professional photographer.

The photos were divided into two categories. The first group was 45 sets of
twins in which one smoked and the other didn't. The other group was made up
of smokers, but in each set, one twin had smoked at least five years longer
than the other.

Two doctors and a medical student studied photographs of the twins and
assigned scores to their facial features.

In the case of the first group, the judges said the smoking twin appeared
older 57% of the time.

For the second set, the longer-smoking twin looked older more than 63% of
the time, meaning the aging differences could set in after just five years.

"This study confirms some of what was believed in the most scientific way
possible," said Dr. Bahman Guyuron, who led the research. "With longer follow-
up, we believe that every smoking twin might have exhibited a difference in
aging."

Does anyone deserve lung cancer?

The study looked at other aging factors -- alcohol consumption, stress and
sunscreen use, for instance -- and found they were similar in these sets of
twins. It didn't address changes in the twins' living environment or diet.

"Smoking reduces the collagen formation, results in collagen degradation and
reduces the skin circulation," Guyuron said. "Additionally, nicotine reduces the
skin thickness. All of these reduce skin elasticity and (cause) premature
aging."

The study was published in the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.


The twin on the left has smoked 17 years longer than the twin on the right. Note the differences in lower lid bags and upper and lower lip wrinkles

Both twins are smokers. The twin on the right smoked 14 years longer than his brother.

The twin on the right is a smoker; the twin on the left is a nonsmoker. Note the differences in the lines between the nose and mouth.

The twin on the left is a nonsmoker and the twin on the right smoked for 29 years. Note the differences in aging around the eyes.

Bron: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/10/31/h....html?hpt=hp_c4, 31/10/2013

Mening: Dat roken ongezond is, is natuurlijk algemeen geweten. Ik vraag me wel af of dit onderzoek zoveel bijdraagt ter preventie. Ja, je ziet natuurlijk wel wat verschillen maar of dat nu genoeg is om verslaafde rokers ertoe aan te zetten om te stoppen met roken? Zelf zou dit mij toch niet aanzetten om te stoppen met roken. Als de dreiging van longkanker niet genoeg is, lijkt het mij straf dat wat rimpeltjes meer wel de druppel zijn om te stoppen. Dat het mensen nog eens extra doet nadenken, voor ze eraan beginnen, kan ik nog wel snappen maar weeral, of dat echt mensen zal tegenhouden?