Researchers identify group of genes responsible for youthful skin
08 Jun 2015
Researchers have identified a group of genes that make some people look upto 10 years younger than their actual age.
The research conducted by the scientists at Harvard University and 23andMe, a private genetic database, involved 1 million people. The scientists found that 10 per cent of white and 20 per cent of black Americans carried the ''genetic recipe'' for youthful skin.
According to the researchers, the presence of the genes could make people look up to 10 years younger than their real age, The Sunday Times reported.
Researchers said the genes, fitted into seven categories that governed functions such as DNA repair, the maintenance of the junctions between skin cells, and the performance of the skin's barrier against damaging environmental factors.
Another category covered the production of elements in the skin known as lamellar bodies that produced lipids, molecules containing fats, waxes and nutrients that helped to keep the skin moist.
According to Alexa Kimball, professor of dermatology at Harvard Medical School and a member of the research team, it was believed that people with darker skin aged better due to more pigment and better photo (sunlight) protection, but it had been found there was much more to it than that.
According to the researchers, with the study they could identify whether a person was genetically blessed to have the genetic recipe that would keep them looking young.
The findings would be published this week at the World Congress of Dermatology in Vancouver.
