How Women and Men Age Differently: Why do Women Age Faster?
THE menopause can trigger some unpleasant symptoms for women, including hot flushes and reduced sex.
Now, to make matters worse, research has suggested that this natural part of the female ageing process can leave their faces ageing faster than men's.
According to a new study by the University of Vienna, there is a noticeable acceleration of the appearance of wrinkles and sagging around the age of 50 - the average age at which the menopause starts.
More specifically, they discovered that eyes appear smaller, nose and ears lengthen and faces become flatter due to loss of fat and thinning of the skin.
It is thought this is due to the loss of sex hormone oestrogen which impacts on the protein collagen, crucial for giving skin its elasticity.
Approximately 30 per cent of skin collagen is lost in the first five menopausal years.
The scientists also believe that bone is re-absorbed, causing cheekbones to become less defined and the chin to shrink.
Both men and women tend to age in a similar way, according to the findings published in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology.
However, before the age of 50, they found that women age twice as fast as men.
But between 50 and 60 this process become three times faster.
Researchers analysed the faces of 88 men and women and compared them between various age groups.
Sonja Windhager, who led the research, said: ‘Men and women age similarly up to the age of 50.
"It’s a linear progression. But at the age of 50, for women, it goes really fast. It doesn’t speed up at 50 for men."
She added: "After the age of 50, the best predictor of how old you look is your age from menopause. The onset of menopause varies in women quite a lot.
"On average, it is around the age of 50, with a variation of around ten years, with on average some women starting at 40 and some as late as 60.
"This seems to determine facial shape more than actual age."
