Smoking Speeds Up Skin Aging, Study on Twins Confirms

A new study uncovers the harmful effects of smoking other than the obvious adverse effects. The study conducted on identical twins confirms that smoking speeds-up the normal ageing process of the skin.

The study reported in the November issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery states that twins who smoke undergo premature facial aging when compared to their identical twin who does not smoke. The twin smokers who smoked tend to get wrinkles near the lips and are most likely to get eyelid pouches. The effect of smoking on facial aging is clearly visible in the lower two-thirds of the face.

According to ASPS Member Surgeon Dr. Bahman Guyuron, Professor and Chairman, Department of Plastic Surgery, University Hospital Case Medical, the study finds significant differences in facial aging between twins with as little as five years' difference in smoking history.

For the study, the researchers took advantage of the annual Twin Day Festival in Twinsburg, Ohio where they identified pairs of identical twins who had different smoking histories. The twin study consisted of 79 twin pairs in which fifty seven were women. The average age of the subjects was 48 years.

The researchers asked the twins to complete a questionnaire about their medical and lifestyle histories. Apart from this, a close up photograph of each twin's face was taken by a professional photographer.  The plastic surgeons who had no information about the twin's smoking history, easily analyzed the twins facial features that included wrinkles and age related facial features. The main aim was recognize the components of facial aging that were affected by smoking.

They noticed that the smoking twins had sagging upper eyelids and pouches below the lower eyelids and under the eyes. The smoking twins had greater facial wrinkles and were more evident between the nose and mouth, wrinkling of upper and lower lips and sagging jowls. In short, the smokers' scores for several measures of facial aging were worse.

They noticed that the twins that have a longer duration of smoking had worse scores for wrinkles on lower lips and bags on lower lids and below the eyes. The study offers crucial clues as to the cellular-level mechanisms by which smoking leads to premature aging, which may differ for different facial features.

 "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," Dr. Guyuron and coauthors concluded.