Skin Tone Is Key to Ageing Process, Not Wrinkles

Experts say skin coloration is actually the one that gives our age away

These days, ageing has become synonymous with wrinkles, therefore most of the efforts of the cosmetic industry are focused on banishing them. However, women should perhaps think twice before spending a small fortune on anti-wrinkle creams, as new studies have revealed that it’s actually skin tone that gives away one’s age and not wrinkles alone, the Telegraph informs.

Research into skin color is as varied as it’s sometimes contradictory, the British publication says. Two researchers though, Dr. Bernard Fink, evolutionary psychologist at the University of Goettingham, Germany, and Dr. Paul Matts, research fellow at Procter & Gamble, have focused their study exclusively on how skin tone can reveal a woman’s true age even in those cases when there’s not a single wrinkle in sight. The good news derived from this might be that Botox and cosmetic surgery are not the only solutions to a youthful complexion.

“In a young, healthy face, the only contrast is due to the features – the mouth, nose and eyes – but as you age, you acquire concentrations of haemoglobin and melanin, and shadows due to lines and wrinkles, and it is this contrast that gives a major cue to our perception of age,” Dr. Matts says. As we age, our skin tone becomes more uneven, which is actually the thing that gives us away. “Like it or not, if you walk into a room full of people, your eyes will focus on the face with the most even skin coloration,” he goes on to say.

Whereas the problem of wrinkles can be tackled in a variety of ways, from massages to anti-wrinkle devices and creams, and, of course, cosmetic surgery, the issue of skin tone can also be controlled. Plus, it’s not even that expensive to do so because all it entails is to pay more attention to exposure to sun rays, thus make sure the cumulative negative effects on the skin are to a lesser degree, Dr. Matts advises.

“When people are going for cosmetic procedures, they might fix one aspect, but research shows you have to take both into account – which may explain some of the strange sights in Hollywood. […] I’m not talking about time on the beach, this is the stuff of life. Skin never forgets – chronic sun damage is cumulative. If you are interested in looking good for your age and having a blemish-free complexion, moderating sun damage is the biggest thing you can do – through changing your behavior and using sun cream with an SPF of at least 15 and both UVA and UVB protection,” the expert adds.

By Elena Gorgan, Life & Style Editor, 6th of January 2010