Cleveland Plastic Surgeon's Research Suggests Smokers Age Faster

Dr. Bahman Guyuron, a Cleveland plastic surgeon, recently published a compelling study that shows evidence that smoking speeds up the aging process. His research, which can be found in the November issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, showed that a twin who smokes has more pronounced signs of premature facial aging than his or her identical twin who does not smoke, or has smoked for at least five years less.

For the study, Dr. Guyuron and his research team at Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals of Cleveland observed 79 sets of identical twins that they met at the annual Twins Day Festival in Twinsburg, Ohio. On average, the twins were in their late 40s, and three-quarters of them were women.

Dr. Guyuron and his colleagues showed pictures of the twins to three blinded judges, and asked them to analyze the twins' facial features. Then, the judges were asked to grade the twins' wrinkles using the validated Lemperle Assessment Scale, and to rank their age-related facial features on a four-point scale, without knowing details of their smoking history.

The results showed that twins who had smoked received significantly higher scores on the majority of the measures for facial aging. The smokers were more likely to have droopy upper eyelids, sagging lower lids, wrinkles around the mouth and jowls.

However, the results showed no difference in the assessment of crow's feet or forehead wrinkles.
Dr. Guyuron hopes that the results of his study will prevent people from picking up the habit. "We are hoping that by again emphasizing the harms that come from smoking we can dissuade individuals from smoking … knowing how much it may damage their skin," he said.

Dr. Guyuron recommends plastic surgery and facial creams for people whose skin has suffered damage from smoking.

To learn more about Dr. Guyuron and facial plastic surgery, please visit www.drbahmanguyuron.com.

About Bahman Guyuron, MD
Bahman Guyuron, MD, is an internationally recognized, board-certified plastic surgeon. A graduate of Tehran University Medical School, Dr. Guyuron has published over 200 medical articles for peer-reviewed journals, three textbooks and more than 40 textbook chapters. He has delivered more than 1,000 presentations and lectures in over 20 countries. Dr. Guyuron has acted as visiting professor to over 20 academic institutions, including Harvard, Yale, UCLA, Stanford and the Mayo Clinic. He has received a number of awards and recognition throughout his career, including being named to the "Best Doctors in America" list. Dr. Guyuron has also been recognized as one of the "Top Docs in Cleveland" by Northern Ohio Live, and has been named "Best Doctor" by Cleveland Magazine for many years running.