While it’s a fact that women statisticallylive longer than men worldwide, which of uslooksyoungerwhile doing all the ageing.
Whether it’s the link between cancermortality rates and that beloved Y chromosome, or the way men handle stress.Statistically men die an average 5 years earlier thanwomenno matterwhich country you live in, so clearly there are differences between the twosexes that can show difference. Especially with all the extra effort womeninvest into beauty and youth, it would seem only fair that this makes womenless likely to age next to their male counterparts.
Sadly living longer doesn’t always translateto ageing gracefully after a rough look at the stats, women are more likely toshow their age quicker than men.
While women are more likely do invest in cosmetic treatments and a goodskincareregime which can rewind the years but up to a decade, these aren’t denting too much to the global average.
Of course there are many factors contributingto the way your body shows ageing, including genetics, stress, lifestylefactors etc and they are too complex for a short blog post. But we can give ita quick run through the basic factors.
For now, let’s look at why that Y chromosomeis so beneficial.
Hormones:
Testosterone actually encouragesthedevelopment ofthicker skin and by at least 25 percent more. Regardingoestrogen, having the fluctuating and drastic hormone changes does take effecton the skin elasticitywhereasmen generally keep a consistently decreasinghormonal level.
Collagen:
Regardless of age,menhave ahigher density of collagen within their skin thanwomen. This is whywomenappearto age faster than men of the same age. It’s even beensaid that women are visually about 15 years older than men of the same age interms of collagen maintenance. The reason we don’t always notice this bigdifference is thanks to the effort women put into their skin. Sun protectioninmoisturisers, beauty treatments, cosmetic procedures and countless otherbeauty routines women engage in.
Both camps lose about 1 percent of collagenafter their 30thbirthday, but obviously menopause exacerbatesthis more dramatically.
Hydrate to dominate:
Men obviously are perspiration champions thanks to their higher body temperatures. They also have higher levels of Lactic acid (a naturalhumectant) in their sweat which makes their pH lower than female sweat. All of this leads to a better level of tissue hydration.
Body Hair:
It’s no doubt men generally have a higheramount of body hair (all that investment into hair removal apparently has extracostladies!). Body hairprotects skin fromoutside elements andmaintains hydration. Men with beards are especially fortunate.
All facts considered there are so many elements to consider before we start blaming/thanking our gender when the aim is eternal youth.
Genetics, a fantastic skin care program, excellent nutrition,maintaining balanced hormones as well as a healthy lifestyle without too manyexcessive and crazy habits (cork that bottle!) Even your BMI and your stresslevels play a role in. Even cosmetic work canfactorin how we age.
Sadly as Australians we have a disadvantage purely from the amount ofsun exposure we experience daily.
In the end, both men and women will age. That’s inevitable.Dryer skin, sagging skin folds, more obvious expression lines, deeper wrinkles, eyelid puffiness and underlying bone atrophy leaving skin with noticeableptosis(sagging).
Thank the beauty gods there arecountlessprocedureswhich can help deter the inevitable ageing onour skin. Evenproceduresthat can visibly rewind the clock by adecade. Prevention is always important though.
If you would like to talk to us atM1about reducing signs of ageing, book in for your free consultation to see how we can help you.
