PROVO, Utah—Research from Nu Skin Enterprises Inc. correlates the apparent age in Japanese women with internal oxidative damage, supporting the idea that one’s visible appearance is an indicator of biological age. Helen Knaggs, Ph.D., vice president of Nu Skin global R&D presented selected findings at both the European Society for Dermatological Research (ESDR) conference in Helsinki, Finland, and the Society of Investigative Dermatology (SID) conference in Atlanta.
“Different ethnicities have different skin care concerns as they age," Knaggs said. “We wanted to know whether in a population known for more graceful skin aging, such as Japanese women, we could also correlate visible aging with internal sources of aging. The answer is yes, and even more importantly it also underscores the universal impact of internal health on outward appearance.
The research study surveyed 150 Japanese women 45 to 60 years of age and was narrowed by two study clinicians to 70 women who either looked much older or much younger than their chronological age. Three dermatologists evaluated photos for skin appearance and overall age estimation. Eighteen subjects from the most extreme “much younger than chronological age" and 24 subjects from the most extreme “much older than chronological age" were selected for saliva, serum and plasma collection. Oxidative stress in the subjects was measured via isoprostanes, considered to be the “gold standard" biomarker of oxidative stress. Additionally, levels of an age-related enzyme known to generate free radicals, as well as inhibitors of this enzyme were measured. The results showed a strong correlation between the subjects’ apparent age (appearance) and their oxidative health, suggesting a need to address internal sources of oxidative stress to improve outward appearance.