When it comes to younger looking skin, consumers may attribute their lot to ‘good genes’, but scientists have discovered that it’s actually how genes behave that causes the youthful glow.
Researchers from the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center at Harvard University took samples from 158 white women aged 20 to 74 years old and found that the women who appeared younger than their age had genes that behaved similar to a younger woman.
The youthful looking women had genes that demonstrated increased activity associated with basic biologic processes – including DNA repair, cell division response to oxidative stress and protein metabolism – all vital to maintaining skin health.
“We were particularly surprised by the identification of a group of women who not only displayed a much more youthful skin appearance than would be expected based on their chronological age, but who also presented a specific gene expression profile mimicking the biology of much younger skin,” said Alexa Kimball, CEO of Harvard Medical Faculty Physicians.
“It seems that their skin looked younger because it behaved younger.”
It was also found that skin changed genetically with age, but the ageing process accelerated in the 60s and 70s.
As well as age, the study confirmed that the skin was impacted by sun exposure and that UV exposure is a main accelerator of skin ageing.
