Best New Year’s Eve Resolution for 2010: Slow Down Aging

Dec. 4, 2009 - PRLog -- Wrinkled skin. Age spots. Turkey neck.  If you look older than you want, don’t blame your parents. Blame your New Year’s resolutions.  

Ten years ago, leading New York plastic surgeon Dr. Darrick Antell published a ground-breaking study on identical twins that proved lifestyle choices have a greater impact on visible aging than genetics. Now, another decade of empirical evidence supports Dr. Antell’s conclusions. This New Year’s Eve, if you want Father Time to slow down the clock on aging, Dr. Antell suggests focusing on three important “S Resolutions.”

According to Dr. Antell, “The lifestyle choices you make now will have a profound impact on how you look in later years.  My study identified three important “S Factors” that most affect how skin ages:  sun, smoking and stress.  That’s why the best resolutions you can make this New Year’s Eve are to limit sun exposure, to quit smoking and to reduce the stress in your life.”

Before Dr. Antell’s landmark study on identical twins, most experts believed that how your skin aged was based largely on genetics.  But studying sets of identical twins led Dr. Antell to another conclusion in the nature vs. nurture debate.  “I noticed that in certain sets of mature identical twins, one twin could look considerably older than the other.  Since their genetic code was essentially the same, I set out to learn what other factors could account for the differences.  After studying hundreds of twins, certain patterns began to emerge, and it became clear that how we nurture our skin plays a very significant role in how well our skin ages,” Dr. Antell said.

In addition to the obvious damage caused by excessive sun exposure, Dr. Antell’s study also showed that the skin of twins who smoked or endured higher levels of stress also showed greater signs of aging, including more pronounced wrinkling, skin thinning and pigmentation irregularities. Both smoking and stress can reduce the blood supply to the skin, preventing skin from receiving the proper nutrients.  According to Dr. Antell’s findings, a significant smoking habit or high levels of stress could make a person look an average of five to seven years older. For ten years of before and after twin photos, visit http://www.antell-md.com/newyorkplasticsurgeon/plasticsur...

After his initial research, Dr. Antell performed plastic surgery on some of the twins to bring their appearance back into closer balance with each other.  Although the surgery was able to make the twins look closer in age, it was not able to completely reverse skin damage caused by smoking, sun and stress.  Now, ten years later, photos show that the twins with healthier lifestyles and less exposure to the S-Factors continue to look younger than their siblings.

“There’s no better time to start than now,” Dr. Antell advises.  “The resolutions you make this New Year’s Eve can help you look better ten years from now.”

About Dr. Antell’s Twin Research

A leading New York plastic and reconstructive surgeon, Dr. Darrick E. Antell is world renowned for his research on identical twins.  His initial study on “How Environment and Lifestyle Choices Influence the Aging Process,” first published in the prestigious Annals of Plastic Surgery, garnered extensive media attention.  Dr. Antell’s pioneering research has been mimicked by other authors with similar results.  With follow-up studies on different facelift techniques on identical twins, Dr. Antell has performed more plastic surgery on identicals than any other surgeon in the world.  For further information about Dr. Antell’s twin studies, visit http://www.antell-md.com/newyorkplasticsurgeon/plasticsurgerytwins.htm or call 212-988-4040.

About Darrick E. Antell, M.D., F.A.C.S.

Dr. Antell is a board certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon with more than 20 years in private practice, specializing in cosmetic and reconstructive surgery of the face, breast and body.  The official spokesperson for the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, Dr. Antell completed his residency training at the New York Hospital/Cornell Medical Center, Stanford University Medical Center, and the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.  In addition to his medical degree, Dr. Antell also earned a Doctor of Medical Dentistry (DMD) degree, making him uniquely qualified to analyze and reconstruct the face.  Dr. Antell’s practice is located at 850 Park Avenue in New York City.  For further information, visit http://www.antell-md.com/ or call 212-988-4040.  

Contact:  
Rosa Giammarco
Office Manager
850 Park Avenue
New York, NY  10075
212-988-4040
dea@antell-md.com

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Dr. Darrick Antell is a top New York plastic surgeon, who specializes in cosmetic and aesthetic surgery. Dr. Antell combines meticulous surgical skills, the latest and safest of medical technologies, and the distinct eye of an artist.