October 17, 1997. Copyright, 1996, Graphic News. All rights reserved

SMOKERSÕ SKIN DRAMATICALLY THINNER

Doctors at the Twin Research Unit at St ThomasÕs Hospital, London, have been astonished to find dramatic differences in skin ageing between smoking and non-smoking twins. The researchers reported they now have conclusive evidence that smokers have significantly thinner skin and more wrinkles.
Over one thousand twins took part in the study, and of these, 25 identical pairs had their inner arm skin thickness measured by ultrasound. As identical twins are genetically the same, any differences between them would have to be environmental. Few differences emerged, until researchers tested Morey Cornick and Carol Deller, identical twins aged 57.
Morey has smoked since her teens, but Carol has never had a cigarette. MoreyÕs skin was found to be 40 per cent thinner than her sisterÕs Ð 0.57mm compared with 0.91mm. A silicone imprint of MoreyÕs face showed that it was more wrinkled and had fewer pores.
 ÔI was surprised to see the large differences in someone who I considered not to be a particularly heavy smoker,Õ said Dr Tim Spector, Head of the Unit at St ThomasÕs. ÔIt just shows the major effects this has.Õ 
Dr Veronique Bataille, the dermatologist in charge of the skin testing study added: ÔSmoking can affect the blood supply to the top layer of your skin and that would damage it. Another way is that a chemical released in the skin after you smoke can release an enzyme that breaks down the collagen and elastic tissue. A third possible way is that a chemical released in the skin from the smoke can affect the genetic material inside each cell and this DNA damage may have some direct effect on the property of your skin.Õ
One in three young women in Britain smokes, and the numbers are increasing. MoreyÕs advice is: ÔDonÕt smoke at all because this is obvious proof that it doesnÕt do you any good at all and it does age youÕ.

Source: The Twin Research Unit at St ThomasÕs. The unit can be contacted on 0990 770099.