AGING: HOW OLD IS YOUR SKIN?

We are all equal before the effects of age. However, we do not all get older in the same way, or at the same time or at the same speed. A score quantifying the aging of the skin compared to the actual age was developed.

This score, determined by individual assessment of a set of visual and tactile characteristics of different areas of the face, includes 16 characters, ranging from wrinkles crow's feet, those of the upper lip, through the spots senescence. Developed from 363 women aged 18 to 80 years living in the Ile-de-France, this score is a model explaining in part the variations observed between age and actual age skin. The difference may be important: a woman of 45 years may have a skin of 30 years, while the skin will appear in another 60.

Genetics and lifestyle Genetics governs this process, but many other factors, internal or external, can influence it. The authors find very significant effects with regard to:

• l '/ * body mass 49/indice / * /;
• menopausal status;
• the natural sensitivity of skin to sun (skin type);
• intensity of sun exposure during life;
• the number of years of smoking.

es or external, can influence it. The authors find very significant effects with regard to:

Scientifically, this score can be used to better understand the mechanisms and parameters that can influence aging. Such data could then be used as means to fight against age, but also against certain cancers and skin lesions.