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People Take Stock Of Own Lifestyle Choices After Twin Study Goes Viral: “Can See A Huge Difference”
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People Take Stock Of Own Lifestyle Choices After Twin Study Goes Viral: “Can See A Huge Difference”

Interview With Expert People Take Stock Of Own Lifestyle Choices After Twin Study Goes Viral: “Can See A Huge Difference”“Eye Opener”: People Take Stock Of Own Lifestyle Choices After Twin Study Goes ViralTwins Days Festival Was Hunting Ground For Researchers To Uncover Effects Of Lifestyle ChoicesResearchers Studied Twins To Uncover Effects Of Lifestyle Choices And The Findings Are Astounding“Eye Opener”: Effects Of Divorce, Bad Diet, Smoking Clearly Illustrated In Viral Study Of Twins“Eye Opener”: Twins Study Exposing Striking Impact Of Divorce And Bad Diet On The Face Goes ViralDespite Twin Photos Showing Lifestyle Effects On Skin, People Still Ask “Which One Is Happier?”Despite Twin Photos Showing Lifestyle Effects On Skin, People Ask “Which One Is Cooler?”“Can See A Huge Difference”: Effects Of Divorce And Smoking Illustrated In Viral Study Of Twins“Festoons Of Loose Skin”: Twin Study Researcher Says Five Years Of Smoking Is Enough To Age You
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A pair of twins, sharing the same family history, almost the same DNA, and even the same face, can still age differently because of their lifestyle habits. 

To prove this, researchers conducted an insightful study that revealed how smoking, sun exposure, diet, and marital status could make someone age faster.

For instance, a divorced twin would look about 1.7 years older than a twin who hadn’t, researchers concluded.

Highlights
  • A study showed the effects of lifestyle habits like smoking on a person’s facial appearance.
  • Researchers compared photographs of identical twins and made conclusions about whose face aged faster.
  • 10 years of smoking added about 2.5 additional years of aging to a twin’s face, the study revealed.
  • Twins who were more exposed to the sun also appeared to have an older-looking face than their siblings.
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    A groundbreaking study showed the effects of lifestyle habits like smoking on a person’s facial appearance

    Image credits: migrainesurgery

    The 2009 study has once again gained widespread attention this week, reminding the world of ways they can avoid the early onset of wrinkles and sagging skin.

    Dr. Bahman Guyuron and his fellow researchers studied the faces of 186 pairs of identical twins before coming to their eye-opening conclusions.

    Even after years, these “principles have not changed today,” co-author Dr. Guyuron told Bored Panda via email.

    The photographs of the twins were taken during the Twins Days Festival in Twinsburg, Ohio, in 2009, and they were asked to fill out a questionnaire about their lifestyle choices and medical history.

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    Image credits: twinsdays

    Since twins would generally have similar genetic material, the differences in how old they look would be attributed to their environmental factors as well as lifestyle choices.

    In the case of twins Dina and Gina, researchers found that the then-27-year-olds looked noticeably different. 

    “The added weight on Gina takes away definition in her jawline and projection in her cheekbones,” Dr. Bahman Guyuron previously told NBC News.

    Dina’s face was deemed to be younger looking, while Gina, who weighed 50 lbs more than her sister, had an older, rounder, and less defined face.

    Researchers compared photographs of identical twins and concluded whose face aged faster

    Image credits: Dr.Bahman Guyuron/American Society of Plastic Surgeons

    Image credits: Dr.Bahman Guyuron/American Society of Plastic Surgeons

    “Excessive loss of weight can be detrimental to youthfulness and attractiveness,” Dr. Guyuron told the New York Times. “It’s a warning if you lose too much weight after the age of 40.”

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    If the twins were over the age of 40, a plumper face made a twin look younger when compared to a slimmer face.

    Smoking was determined to be another factor that massively impacted the aging of one’s face.

    The researchers concluded that 10 years of smoking added about 2.5 additional years of aging to a twin’s face when compared to a twin who didn’t smoke.

    After the age of 40, a plumper face made a twin look younger when compared to a slimmer face

    Image credits: Dr.Bahman Guyuron/American Society of Plastic Surgeons

    Image credits: Dr.Bahman Guyuron/American Society of Plastic Surgeons

    This effect was visible in identical twins Brenda and Barb, who were 52 at the time of the study.

    “I love being called the younger one,” Barb laughed and said at the time.

    Brenda appeared 6.25 years older than her twin sister due to habits like smoking half a pack a day for 14 years, exposing herself to the sun for 14 hours a week, and having a lower body mass index.

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    “The festoons of loose skin under Brenda’s eyes are attributable to her cigarette habit,” Dr. Guyuron said.

    “When I see that [on patients], I don’t have to ask if they smoke. I know they do,” added the Ohio-based plastic surgeon.

    10 years of smoking added about 2.5 additional years of aging to a twin’s face

    Image credits: Dr.Bahman Guyuron/American Society of Plastic Surgeons

    Image credits: Dr.Bahman Guyuron/American Society of Plastic Surgeons

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    Smokers also tend to have more sagging skin, more bags of the lower eyelids, more wrinkles, and sagging jowls. Dr. Guyuron explained that this could be because smoking reduces oxygen to the skin, which consequently decreases blood circulation. This leads to one’s skin looking more aged, wrinkled, and weathered.

    The trifecta of smoking, sun exposure, and a lesser weight also made twin Susan appear 11 and a quarter years older than her sister Jeanne.

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    Susan had smoked for 16 years, used to sunbathe, and also weighed 15 lbs less than Jeanne, leading to patchy discoloration, age spots, and reduced skin elasticity in Susan’s face.

    Twins who were more exposed to the sun also appeared to have an older-looking face than their siblings

    Image credits: Dr.Bahman Guyuron/American Society of Plastic Surgeons

    Dr. Guyuron told Bored Panda that today, people are more aware of the effects smoking and sun exposure on the skin and overall health.

    “Unfortunately, there are few who still, while they know the consequence of unprotected sun exposure and smoking, do so but not to the same extent,” he said.

    In the case of twins Janet and Jean, who were aged 54 when the study was conducted, the latter sister looked older with deeper smile lines, a darker under-eye area, and “more numerous and deeper vertical frown lines,” Dr. Guyuron said.

    The surgeon, who was ranked in the top ten of Newsweek’s Best Plastic Surgeons in America, said Jean’s older-looking face could be because of her divorce after 27 years of marriage, while Janet had been married for over three decades at the time of the study.

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    Researchers concluded that even a divorce could lead to stress, which leads to the face aging faster

    Image credits: Dr.Bahman Guyuron/American Society of Plastic Surgeons

    The co-author of the paper noted that marital woes and even worries about finances and finding love after separation can lead to stress, which in turn affects one’s appearance.

    Due to the effects of stress, researchers concluded that divorced twins, on average, appeared at least two years older than their married or single sibling.

    With advancements made in the medical and cosmetic sectors, Dr. Guyuron offered suggestions to retain one’s youthful appearance and maintain good health.

    “We suggest using effective sunscreen products, avoiding smoking, routine use of Retin A, early use of non-invasive modalities such as Morpheous 8, Halo, porfraction,” he told Bored Panda.

    “You can see a huge difference,” one netizen noted

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    Ic_polls

    Poll Question

    Based on the study, what action are you most likely to take to improve your skin health?

    Use sunscreen regularly

    Quit smoking

    Maintain a stable weight

    Practice stress-reducing activities

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    Binitha Jacob

    Binitha Jacob

    Writer, BoredPanda staff

    Read more »

    Working as a writer for Bored Panda offers an added layer of excitement. By afternoon, I'm fully immersed in the whirlwind of celebrity drama, and by evening, I'm navigating through the bustling universe of likes, shares, and clicks. This role not only allows me to delve into the fascinating world of pop culture but also lets me do what I love: weave words together and tell other people's captivating stories to the world

    Read less »
    Binitha Jacob

    Binitha Jacob

    Writer, BoredPanda staff

    Working as a writer for Bored Panda offers an added layer of excitement. By afternoon, I'm fully immersed in the whirlwind of celebrity drama, and by evening, I'm navigating through the bustling universe of likes, shares, and clicks. This role not only allows me to delve into the fascinating world of pop culture but also lets me do what I love: weave words together and tell other people's captivating stories to the world

    Donata Leskauskaite

    Donata Leskauskaite

    Author, BoredPanda staff

    Read more »

    Hey there! I'm a Visual Editor in News team. My responsibility is to ensure that you can read the story not just through text, but also through photos. I get to work with a variety of topics ranging from celebrity drama to mind-blowing Nasa cosmic news. And let me tell you, that's what makes this job an absolute blast! Outside of work, you can find me sweating it out in dance classes or unleashing my creativity by drawing and creating digital paintings of different characters that lives in my head. I also love spending time outdoors and play board games with my friends.

    Read less »

    Donata Leskauskaite

    Donata Leskauskaite

    Author, BoredPanda staff

    Hey there! I'm a Visual Editor in News team. My responsibility is to ensure that you can read the story not just through text, but also through photos. I get to work with a variety of topics ranging from celebrity drama to mind-blowing Nasa cosmic news. And let me tell you, that's what makes this job an absolute blast! Outside of work, you can find me sweating it out in dance classes or unleashing my creativity by drawing and creating digital paintings of different characters that lives in my head. I also love spending time outdoors and play board games with my friends.

    What do you think ?
    Add photo comments
    POST
    Hidalgo
    Community Member
    2 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Plumper faces make one look younger? Not from the above pictures - just make one look plumper

    Auntriarch
    Community Member
    2 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I remember seeing an article about a pair of twins one who lived in California and the other in a cloudy damp place (sorry the name escapes me, it was over 40 years ago) on the other side of the country. The sun worshipper looked like the other twin's mother.

    Lee Gilliland
    Community Member
    2 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I have been fortunate in that I have REALLY white skin and sunburn easily. There was no sunscreen when I was growing up, so I had the choice of burning or staying out of the sun. Guess which I picked. The good part is now, at age seventy, I can still pass for fifty. It makes a huge difference.

    Helena
    Community Member
    2 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    White skin, burn easy as well. Spent my childhood sunburnt, surprised I havn'et had skin cancer yet. My adult years I've been super vigilant about sun. I look easily 10 years younger than my cousins the same age. The kids at work keep guessing I'm 35-35, rather than the tail end of 40's. Yay sunscreen!

    Load More Comments
    Hidalgo
    Community Member
    2 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Plumper faces make one look younger? Not from the above pictures - just make one look plumper

    Auntriarch
    Community Member
    2 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I remember seeing an article about a pair of twins one who lived in California and the other in a cloudy damp place (sorry the name escapes me, it was over 40 years ago) on the other side of the country. The sun worshipper looked like the other twin's mother.

    Lee Gilliland
    Community Member
    2 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I have been fortunate in that I have REALLY white skin and sunburn easily. There was no sunscreen when I was growing up, so I had the choice of burning or staying out of the sun. Guess which I picked. The good part is now, at age seventy, I can still pass for fifty. It makes a huge difference.

    Helena
    Community Member
    2 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    White skin, burn easy as well. Spent my childhood sunburnt, surprised I havn'et had skin cancer yet. My adult years I've been super vigilant about sun. I look easily 10 years younger than my cousins the same age. The kids at work keep guessing I'm 35-35, rather than the tail end of 40's. Yay sunscreen!

    Load More Comments
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