This Article  • Full text  • PDF  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citation map  • Citing articles on HighWire  • Citing articles on Web of Science (37)  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal  Topic Collections  • Women's Health  • Women's Health, Other  • Alert me on articles by topic  Social Bookmarking   What's this?

Influence of Sex, Sun Exposure, Smoking, and Skin Color

Jin Ho Chung, MD, PhD; Seong Hun Lee, MD; Choon Shik Youn, MD; Byung Joo Park, MD, PhD; Kyu Han Kim, MD, PhD; Kyung Chan Park, MD, PhD; Kwang Hyun Cho, MD, PhD; Hee Chul Eun, MD, PhD

Arch Dermatol. 2001;137:1043-1051.

Background  Severe wrinkles and pigmentary changes of the exposed skin indicate substantial damage due to UV radiation. Many investigators believe that the principal manifestation of photodamage in Asians is pigmentary change rather than wrinkles. However, to our knowledge, no well-designed study has investigated the characteristics of cutaneous photodamage in Asian skin.

Objective  To access the severity of wrinkles and dyspigmentation in Koreans exposed to sun and who smoked.

Methods  We developed new photographic scales for grading wrinkles and dyspigmentation in 407 Koreans to assess the severity of the wrinkles and dyspigmentation. We interviewed subjects to determine cumulative sun exposure and smoking history, and measured the skin color of individual subjects.

Results  Our photographic scales provided a reliable evaluation of photodamage severity in Koreans. The pattern of wrinkling in both sexes is similar, but women tended to have more severe wrinkles (prevalence odds ratio, 3.7). However, the pattern of dyspigmentation differed between the sexes. Seborrheic keratosis is the major pigmentary lesion in men, whereas hyperpigmented macules are the prominent features in women. Cigarette smoking is an independent risk factor for wrinkles, but not for dyspigmentation, in Koreans, and causes additive detrimental effects to wrinkles induced by aging and sun exposure. The constitutive skin color did not show any correlation with wrinkles or dyspigmentation. However, facultative pigmentation (sun exposure index) may reflect lifetime sun exposure, and it shows a good correlation with wrinkles in Koreans.

Conclusion  Wrinkling is a major feature of photoaging in Koreans, as are pigmentary changes; smoking, sun exposure, and female sex are independent risk factors for wrinkles.

From the Departments of Dermatology (Drs Chung, Lee, Youn, Kim, K. Park, Cho, and Eun) and Preventive Medicine (Dr B. Park), Seoul National University College of Medicine, and the Laboratory of Cutaneous Aging Research, Clinical Research Institute, Seoul National University Hospital (Drs Chung, Lee, Youn, Kim, K. Park, Cho, and Eun), Seoul, South Korea.

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter     What's this?

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

Smoking and Skin Aging in Identical Twins
Doshi et al.
Arch Dermatol 2007;143:1543-1546.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Effect of Smoking on Aging of Photoprotected Skin: Evidence Gathered Using a New Photonumeric Scale
Helfrich et al.
Arch Dermatol 2007;143:397-402.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Smoking related COPD and facial wrinkling: is there a common susceptibility?
Patel et al.
Thorax 2006;61:568-671.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Differential Effects of Photoaging vs Intrinsic Aging on the Vascularization of Human Skin
Chung et al.
Arch Dermatol 2002;138:1437-1442.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Sun and Smoking Cause Wrinkles, Dyspigmentation in Asian Skin
Journal Watch Dermatology 2001;2001:5-5.
FULL TEXT