Chewing gum smacks of wrinkle risks

Some surgeons say habit can create fine lines around lips

It freshens our breath and helps us quit smoking, but some cosmetic surgeons believe chewing gum does one more thing: It gives us wrinkles.

“Many of my patients who are gum chewers have a certain pattern of wrinkles around their mouth,” says Dr. Joel Schlessinger, a board certified dermatologist and cosmetic surgeon from Omaha, Neb. “And I think the gum is responsible to some degree for it.”

While no studies have been done showing a link between chewing gum and wrinkles, the topic does come up with some regularity on beauty blogs.

Experts attribute the gum-wrinkle connection to two things. First, there’s the repetitive motion of chewing, which causes lines and folds around the mouth due to muscle overuse, says Dr. Hema Sundaram, a Washington, D.C.-area cosmetic surgeon and laser expert.

“I believe chewing gum promotes muscle over-activity and potentially breaks down support tissue within the skin, contributing to volume loss and perhaps loss of skin elasticity,” she says.

What's more, chewing gum can dislodge dermal fillers that people have injected into their faces to plump up their wrinkles.

“It makes your Restylane and other fillers last less long,” says Sundaram.

Schlessinger says he’s observed this with his patients, as well.

“The act of chewing gum can dislodge the fillers earlier,” he says. “It actually pushes them out of the area. They dissipate a lot quicker in gum chewers in my opinion.”

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Shar-pei wrinkles explained by dog geneticists

Just how did the Shar-pei get its famous wrinkled appearance?

Scientists who have analysed the genetics of 10 pedigree dog breeds believe they now have the answer.

Their research identifies 155 distinct locations in the animals' genetic code that could play a role in giving breeds their distinctive appearances.

In the Shar-pei, the team found differences in a gene known as HAS2 which makes an enzyme known to be important in the production of skin.

"There was probably a mutation that arose in that gene that led to a really wrinkly puppy and a breeder said, 'hey, that looks interesting, I'm going to try to selectively breed this trait and make more of these dogs'," explained Joshua Akey from the Department of Genome Sciences at the University of Washington, Seattle, US.

Small differences

The pedigree dog has become a fascination - and a remarkably useful research tool - for geneticists.

The domestication of the grey wolf more than 10,000 years ago, and the selective breeding that followed, has resulted in more than 400 breeds - each with a distinctive physique, coat colour and temperament.

The study compared the genetics of 10 pure-bred dog groups

These discrete populations give scientists the opportunity to compare and contrast the genetics of the different groups, making it easier to find the causes of specific traits.

"Man's best friend" is helping scientists locate the faulty genes that cause disease in both dogs and humans, as well giving a useful insight into how evolution works at a molecular level.

Dr Akey and colleagues studied 32 wrinkled and 18 smooth-coated Shar-peis and compared a specific stretch of their DNA with that of other breeds.

The team found four small, but significant, differences in the genetics of the two skin types of the Shar-pei versus the other breeds. These single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), as they are called, were located in the HAS2 gene.

New targets

"HAS2 makes hyaluronic acid synthase 2, and it's an enzyme that makes hyaluronic acid, and that's one of the principal constituents of the skin," explained Dr Akey.

"There are rare human cases where there are mutations that lead to really severe wrinkling in humans, too.

"So, that suggested it was a good candidate to look at; and sure enough, when we sequenced it we saw that that gene explained wrinkling in Shar-peis," he told BBC News.

Science explained: What is a genome?

As well as giving insights into the Shar-pei, the research has also identified a raft of other locations in the dog genome that can now be investigated further to understand better why pedigree animals look the way they do.

"The thing that excites me most about our study is that in the last five years, five genes have been identified that contribute to this vast diversity in dog breeds," said Dr Akey.

"So our study found all five of those genes and then we found 150 new targets to explore. It's a powerful approach to look at the genetic legacy of selective breeding."

Dr Akey and colleagues report their findings in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

Plumper lips and pout' make women look younger

Women who have fuller and firmer lips are seen as younger than they really are, research suggests.

Even with a few wrinkles or grey hairs, a plump pout can takes years off a woman, Unilever scientist David Gunn has found.

His study of over 250 women, including sets of twins, reveals that thin lips are a genetic trait rather than a result of our environment.

The findings are published in PLoS One journal.

The researchers found a large variation in lip thickness among women over 60.

The pink part of the thinnest lips measured just 3mm from the top of the upper lip to the bottom of the lower lip, while the fullest lips among the over-sixties measured 2.2cm.

Other tell-tale signs of ageing that appeared to be genetically determined included a receding hairline and greying hair.

But wrinkles, sun damage and age spots were equally influenced by both genetic and environmental factors.

Researcher David Gunn said: "When we identified people who looked young for their age, we were struck by the difference in their lips.

"It is a feature that is strongly genetically determined and relatively easy to measure."

'Trout pout'

Experts know that lips reach their maximum volume in young adulthood.

For many people, they begin shrinking between the ages of 30 and 40, and can artificially age a person.

Although surgery and botox can be an effective way to increase the size of your lips, experts are divided over whether it makes a convincing difference.

There can also be disadvantages to collagen or silicone implants.

Actress Leslie Ash suffered long-term damage to her lips, earning her the nickname "trout pout", when her implant surgery went wrong.

Mr Gunn said there was little to be gained by thin-lipped middle-aged or elderly women seeking lip implants.

He said: "It just looks odd because it doesn't counter the impact of a wrinkled face."