Dec 23, 2008 8:35 am US/Eastern
HealthWatch: Aging & Lifestyle
Plastic Surgeon's Study On Identical Twins Claims That How You Live Your Life Directly Impacts How You Look
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
No one likes to look old, but there's not much we can do about it.
Or is there?
It turns out how we lead our lives can have a profound effect on how we age and how we look. The proof comes from twins.
At the annual twins festival in Twinsburg, Ohio, hundreds of identical twins -- all starting out with the same youthful skin, faces and genes – show up. So as they grow older, they should still look exactly alike, right?
"So here you have two people that are virtually identical at birth, the same genes," said Dr. Darrick Antell. "But lifestyle factors can affect the rate at which you age."
Antell actually recruited dozens of middle aged twins at the twins festival for a series of studies on how lifestyle affects aging. His conclusion?
"Actually, it's not just the genes," Dr. Antell said. "I think genes are highly overrated. I think lifestyle choices are much more important because my twins studies really back it up."
If you need proof, here's the example of Gay and Gwynn. When they were 21 they were identical. Now they are in middle age. They're not before and after shots. They're identical twins photographed at the same time. The only difference is one got much more sun than the other.
Antell also showed an example of twins where one smoked and the other didn't. The difference was painfully obvious: lifestyle makes a difference.
"Smoking, stress, sun exposure and I also think that weight loss, medical conditions, and possibly sleep, can all be factors," Antell said. "Basically all the things that mom told you to do to take care of yourself."
Jeanette and Annette, and Phelan and Bilobran, respectively, were also part of the twins study. Like most twins, they looked alike and dressed alike when they were young. They both became nurses. Both now live near Albany, but they no longer look identical. Their lifestyles were different.
"Well I'd say that it's because I do more stuff outdoors. Maybe I am more in the sun than she would be. That's the only thing I can think about right now," Annette said.
Added Jeannette: "I have four children. Isn't that enough stress to cause you to age?"
It's never too late to slow the aging process with sunscreen and by quitting smoking. But to actually turn the clock back, you may have to do what Dr. Antell did for many of the twins in the study -- have a face-lift.
On top of that, your lifestyle will determine how long your face-lift lasts.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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