There are 15,00 genes
that help in deciding as to how long a person can maintain youthful looks, say scientists.
Basically, there are eight different ways in which our skin can age and all these ways are controlled by our diverse pair of genes.
Research study
A research study done by scientists at Procter & Gamble (manufacturers of Olay creams), aimed at discovering why a few people age faster than the others.
For conducting the study, they utilised the outcomes and techniques from the Genome Project. This international project, costing about £2 billion, was used to chart human DNA.
Principal scientist Dr. Sian Morris was quoted as saying, “Genomics is an exciting area of research. It’s allowing an unparalleled level of understanding of the causes of skin ageing which we are able to apply to creating products that were never possible before.”
Water retention ability of skin
The scientists found out that the main factor in preventing wrinkles is the water gathering and retaining ability of the skin.
The 700 genes that aid in keeping the skin hydrated are rendered less active as the cells age. Consequently, they are not able to hold much water and this leads to formation of wrinkles.
Skin therapist Louise Thomas-Minns said: “Although some of the ageing process is determined by genetics, which is only around 30 percent. The other 70 percent is not written entirely in our genes which means that we can affect it by looking after our skin.”
Apart from this, collagen levels play an important part in wrinkle formation. Collagen actually helps in giving the skin its structure and strength. The genes that lead to degeneration of collagen become hyperactive with increasing age and this leads to wrinkles.
Another major reason for wrinkles is inflammation and almost 400 genes having a bearing on this process become even more active as age progresses.
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