Spyke
ttrpg.network

More people using sunscreen and lotion on the regular prevents skin damage. More people are eating healthy, working less physically demanding jobs. Also there's a pretty huge bias with seeing pictures of older people and seeing them as older than they actually look. It has to do with seeing older styles of clothing and how people tend to keep their core styles longer. This makes people in the present see past photos as "older people" regardless of how young the faces look.

Also the microplastics are preserving us from the inside out. We're all deli-wrapped now.

286
lemmy.eco.br

People also smoke way less now. See the skin of someone at 30 who started smoking at 15, to see someone who looks like 40.

124

And everything around us smokes less too.

In 1950 cars had basically no emission standards, factories didn't either, and a LOT of people heated their homes with coal or wood.

78

Specifically, top panel man is smoking, bottom panel isn’t. That’s why they look like that. Mystery solved.

26
Zipitydewreply
sh.itjust.works

It's very much the smoking. That V Sauce video about it being clothing wasn't convincing. Comparing just faces negates that possible perception issue. And when constrained to only faces people in the past still look older.

18

Hair styles also make a difference. And it's all of the things, individually, that add up.

14
Echreply

Each cell wrapped for our protection.

18

Tanning beds also used to be a HUGE thing. The people that really frequently went to get a tan have much more leathery skin.

3
faercolreply
lemmy.blahaj.zone

Okay but it actually is. I look younger at 29 and on my 3rd year of HRT than I did when I was 24.

27
lemmy.blahaj.zone

yeah i'm in my 30s and i get routinely carded at events and people place me in my late 20s still.

a lot of it is genes, but i also: have a good skin care routine, use sunscreen every day, rarely drink alcohol, and use nicotine rarely. those are big factors that shouldn't be discounted.

11
Instigatereply
aussie.zone

Does nicotine specifically cause skin damage? Obviously smoking tobacco does, but I’m not sure it’s necessarily the nicotine component that causes the skin damage. There’s thousands of chemicals in tobacco beyond nicotine and I haven’t yet seen a study that shows that nicotine in isolation impacts skin condition.

4
lemmy.blahaj.zone

inhaling carcinogenic smoke to get nicotine would age you more, but nicotine itself also has adverse effects by constricting blood vessels, which would affect how much oxygen and nutrients are able to reach the dermal layer. this would also affect hair follicles.

here's some decent sources for more reading:

E-cigarettes containing nicotine cause blood clotting and make small blood vessels less adaptable

NIH-funded studies show damaging effects of vaping, smoking on blood vessels

it's certainly possible that the ecigarettes used in the testing here may have altered the results, but it's not looking pretty.

3
Instigatereply
aussie.zone

Thanks four the sources. So there’s evidence that nicotine impacts blood vessels, but not yet that that impacts skin condition? That makes sense, nicotine use in isolation hasn’t been around all that long yet. As I mentioned, that specific link doesn’t appear to have been studied yet to the best of my knowledge, but I don’t have access to journalistic databases that I used to.

1

well, not quite, but you have the gist.

nicotine patches and gum have been around for quite awhile, and the blood vessel constriction is a fact, and therefore, it will affect skin/hair health.

it's just to what degree. clearly, it's more with analog cigarettes where you're sucking on literal smoke.

2
brbpostingreply
sh.itjust.works

You using good ole sunscreen (chemical) or the newfangled stuff (physical)? Sad to hear the former carries risks.

But the physical can’t be convenient… sigh, convenience :)

1

i use both, but i never really think about it unless my skin suddenly dislikes it and revolts.

so, yea, convenience wins.

2

Physical sunscreens, more commonly known as mineral sunscreens, work by creating a physical barrier on the skin that shields it from the sun’s rays.

That’s what I hear!

1

It’s funny to me that this works for both types of HRT; I’m a trans guy in my mid 30s and still occasionally get carded when I buy alcohol. I was hoping HRT would make me look my age, but 15ish years on and it hasn’t happened yet. And might not ever, because my dad looked decades younger than he was up until his death. Good problems to have, I guess?

9
Madlainereply
feddit.de

29 pre-hrt here. I hope it will be as magic as you say.

Gotta relive all the years I missed to dysphora; looking a bit youmger couldn't hurt ^-^

8
lemmy.blahaj.zone

It's great, because a lot of other trans people are also reliving their younger years that they missed out on lol, so you have a lot of opportunities for fun stuff with other trans people!

3

Yeah I sometimes feel like a teenager. Except I also have adult money and my own apartment.

2
Mehreply
lemy.lol

No doubt on smoking. Plus people didn't even care about second hand smoke around kids until after the 80s.

16
SupraMarioreply
lemmy.world

Alcoholism is huge now, so much so, they reclassified that shit from alcoholic to social drinker.

3

I'm a social drinker, I have to drink to be around people, and I'm constantly around people.

3
lemmy.world
  1. Smoking
  2. Smoking
  3. Smoking

There are already a lot of good answers but I want to highlight this. Chronic tobacco smoke causes increased aging due to multiple mechanisms. Moreover, environmental tobacco exposure from second hand and third hand smoke prior to the 1990s was MASSIVE. So even if you didn’t smoke you got insane daily exposures to the same chemicals.

77
Kalotharreply
lemmy.ca

Nah, stop equating vaping to smoking, it’s a bad-faith argument compared to something we know it’s extremely toxic for a fact.

Studies on vaping have been Inconsistent at best, popcorn lung was related to a flavoring that isn’t used at all now and was only limitedly used before.

So like I get the easy joke, but it is misinformation at this point

Edit: okay, guys stop assuming I’m talking about nicotine. I’m just talking about vaping (vaporizer) vs smoking (combustion). I’m also 31 years old and have never smoked or vaped nicotine myself, it’s not a personal habit of mine.

3

I mean, I was just talking about vaping itself. Also nicotine isn’t a known carcinogen, it’s just a highly addictive chemical.

So yes, nicotine is still nicotine. But tabacco has a lot more in it than just that. So not sure what your point is?

Edit: typo

4
lemmy.world

Nicotine is a vasoconstrictor and reduces blood flow to the skin, likely reducing the availability of nutrients to keep your skin healthy.

Nicotine is nicotine.

Sorry about your habit. It's a hard one to break (been there), but don't ignore known science to justify it in your head just because there isn't a full in depth study.

5
Kalotharreply
lemmy.ca

Um, I have never consumed nicotine knowingly in my life, so there isn’t a personal bias. As I said before this, I never mentioned nicotine that was the other guy.

2

When you say vaping, the default assumption is you're talking about vaping nicotine. Of course nicotine free vapes cannot be equated to smoking lmao. That's on you for not specifying.

2

Slightly educated guess medical opinion here?

As far as risk is concerned:

Smoke>>>vape>nothing.

Vaping will definitely have adverse effects we start cataloging more in 10-30 years. My guess? Likely some form of lung disease (maybe more of a restrictive pattern due to the microparticles in vapes—I could see if being like silicosis or pneumoconioses) and some forms of cancer.

2
irish_linkreply
lemmy.world

No... I hate to tell you this but you are completely wrong. I smoked since i was 18 and even grew up with parents that smoked. I eventually stopped daily smoking when i was 25 years old. I only smoke every once in a while when i get together with my friends. About 2-3 packs a year now if we have to put a number on it.

I am not even 40 yet and I TOTALLY HAVE HAIR, TRUE MAN I DO. I HAVE HAIR, AND LOTS OF IT. "I have the most hair anyone has ever seen" end sentence with index and thumbs together touch each hand in an 'okay sign' pointing at each other

2
Sekrayrayreply
lemmy.world

I mean you basically don’t smoke then. Most of the effects of smoking are based on pack-years, which is the number of years you’ve smoked a pack per day. So two packs a day for 10 years? 20 pack years.

You have barely any pack years, and you stopped so young that the adverse effects are definitely reversed (10 years of cessation to reverse risk of lung CA/COPD).

1
irish_linkreply
lemmy.world

Yeah, I am glad I essentially stopped. (In case you couldn’t tell I was joking with my tone)

Glad you are bringing up some of these points because most people don’t actually realize it ages you.

All real talk aside it’s now time to start rewatching Cowboy Bebop. Hahaa

1

Ha ha so true. I thought you were joking but you never know with the internet.

1
lemm.ee

I don't see any links to Vsauce's video on this so I'm going to assume every response is wrong. TLDR: Styles become associated with eras and people in those eras become associated with our perception of that age bracket.

58
viralJreply
lemmy.world

Also, because of increased healthy lifestyle awareness, we are actually ageing slower than we used to. The clue is in the cigarette the top cartoon smokes. Today we smoke less, we exercise more, we use more sunscreen and we eat healthier, all allowing our bodies to produce more firm collagen in less damaged skin cells.

39
Hasurisreply
sopuli.xyz

This. Remember the cool kids from high school smoking, drinking, taking drugs? Yeah they look like 50 in their 30s now.

16
RaoulDookreply
lemmy.world

But what if you found out the opposite? I did it all but cigarettes in HS and college and I look 10 years younger than my middle age, it's pretty sweet.

4
Kalotharreply
lemmy.ca

I’m also in the same boat as this, I think it really comes down to genetics plus health risk factors

4

It makes people feel better thinking the kids who did drugs and partied are disadvantaged.

1

yep! but the difference is only a couple of years in apparent age. so really, nope.

4
lemmy.world

I saw something speculating that Americans still age faster than other countries due to all the hormones they consume in animal products.

3

I saw something speculating jews shot space lasers to start forest fires. Luckily, I understand speculation isn't fact.

16
grrgylereply
slrpnk.net

Appropriate username.

Also with names. Like picture a Mildred or even a Vicky, and you probably conjure up a person of a certain demo

14
NaoPbreply
eviltoast.org

And not using sun block when working outside all day.

11

I smoke and don't use sun screen and am 40 and look like exhibit b. Why can't I grow a fancy beard like jet and look like I've been around the block using just my face....

2

I smoke, just turned 39, and people still regularly guess I'm in my early 20's. Frankly, I'm surprised we don't look older considering how much stress can cause visible aging. Where are the 13 year olds that look 102?

5

Also being outside in the UV radiation of the sun ☀☢️

0
lemm.ee

The micro plastics sustain me

55

One day the crude biomass you call the temple will wither, and you will beg my kind to save you. But I am already saved, for the Plastic isn't biodegradable… Even in death I suffocate turtles.

12

We're a lot sadder now, so we don't smile much. The lack of smiling saved us from face wrinkles which keeps us looking young.

45
lemmy.world

It is because when you look back to old pictures of people from when they were younger, the people in it have clothing styles and hairstyles that we today associate with older people.

Look up a video on YouTube from VSauce called "Did people used to look older?". They explain this phenomena well.

37
Zipitydewreply
sh.itjust.works

That argument isn't convincing. Crop photos to compare people to negate the clothing perception. People in the past still look older after doing so.

26

Film of the era also made people look older. Old film is sensitive to UV light, which exaggerates/makes visible "flaws" in skin you wouldn't see or notice otherwise.

0
DaddleDewreply
lemmy.world

It's almost like you cropped out the other half of the argument

-7
Zipitydewreply
sh.itjust.works

I've watched that video and seen it reposted dozens of times. Michael talks about doctors finding people are aging slower in the intro. Then goes down a completely different path to claim most of this is due to clothing and style perception. Veering off into some weird pseudoscience junk even.

What he could have done is check medical studies of twins that prove smokers age faster. Overlay smoking rates then and now. Come to the medically accepted reason for why this phenomenon exists.

15
DaddleDewreply
lemmy.world

If you've truly watched that video then it must be a long time ago and are remembering it wrong. Because it does say exactly what you're saying early on in the video, explaining the studies that show how people are now younger from a medical point of view. You then clearly see that the age difference reported in the study from a medical point if view is not nearly wide enough to explain the magnitude of the difference of we perceive in real life.

This is why video then shifts away from the purely medical perspective towards the more subjective reasons that could affect how we perceive people's age. Of course it's not gonna be backed by medical research to support this because the other reasons for this phenomena has absolutely nothing to do with medical science. Medical science doesn't give a shit about the evolution of fashion in haircuts, makeup and clothing. But that doesn't mean that it cannot have an effect on people's perceptions of other's age. It is obvious in the examples provided in the video that this has a far greater effect on the perception of someone's age than the medical explanation alone.

The meme itself is obviously about people's perception of people's age, which is affected by both medical and subjective factors like the evolution of fashion. Trying to pretend that only the medical factor counts is, essentially, ignoring the other half of the argument just to make yourself sound right.

-1
Zipitydewreply
sh.itjust.works

Let's play a game then. I know people right now today. Who dress and have facial hair nearly the same as Richard Dreyfuss in this image. They're all late 30's or early 40's.

Go ahead and let me know how old you think he looks. And yes he was a smoker.

4
DaddleDewreply
lemmy.world

Ah yes. Cherry picking an example of recurring fashion. That definitely proves that fashion and style never changes or evolves ever. /s

-2

These ladies are twins. One of them smoked. One did not.

Michael was so right though. It's all just perception tricks.

10
midwest.social

Perspective. You were a kid in the 80s and they looked way old. Now you're in your 40s and those little whippersnappers look like the babies they are.

26

Ignoring all of the improvements to health from the past 50 years, I see...

5

Lots of good answers here. Another minor one is Hollywood bias - older male actors got starring roles in romantic films. Random example, Cary Grant was 59 when he played the lead role in Charade opposite Audrey Hepburn who was 34.

Add to that the low quality of TV broadcasts, different styles of filing and lighting in movies, and less subtle use of makeup and people in film and TV from stuff from the 90s back have an other-world quality to them if you look back at that compared to the high definition world were in now. Even older magazines and pictures can be available at lower quality to us on the Internet than at the time, as we don't get to see the true originals but lower quality scans on the Internet compared to modern digital photographic.

It's amazing looking at old film from the 1800s that has been well kept or restored - not just people but the whole world actually looks real unlike what we're used to.

We're so used to looking at history in low definition or the artificiality of old fashioned TV/movie techniques and biases.

21

Plus everything has filters on it now. Movies, online and magazine pictures, even the selfies you take at home have heavy anti-aging filters. After looking at all your selfies, go look at an actual mirror and you'll be surprised at how rapidly you aged.

12
lemmy.world

I had that same beard, hairline, and sunglasses when I turned 30 in 2011

I still do now at 42 honestly, but my facial hair is just less pointy lol

19

(It’s a metaphor for being afraid of AIDS)

Is that really what Akira was about? Or is that just some overzealous weeaboo grad student's opinion?

1
andros_rexreply
lemmy.world

Is it? My understanding is that Japan didn’t have a lot of awareness of the AIDS crisis (and still doesn’t really?)

I thought the body horror was more associated with fears of scientific progress. I’ve only seen Akira once so I’d love to watch it again in light of other interpretations.

1

Give me 30 year old Jet any day. Dude is the perfect ship mom/dad combo rocking a bald and beard.

12

People are aging more slowly than in the past, we have better information on how to take care of ourselves. But there is wide variation when you get older. I will say though, that I still feel really good in my mid 50s, nothing hurts, I am still strong and healthy and think that would have been less usual even just 20 years ago.

11
sopuli.xyz

Sunglasses skyrocketed in price while shavers are cheaper than ever before. That's why inflation is a bullshit concept. Price rises in some areas and goes down in others independently

9
lemm.ee

Sunglasses are stupid expensive because the Italian company Luxottica owns just about every major brand as well as the stores they're sold in, and jacks the prices through the roof because they e essentially bought up all the competition. Name brand sunglasses are a fucking scam.

15

You know I was joking, right? I have no idea about any of these prices. Only the last sentence was only half joking because inflation doesn't differentiate between cost of living and luxury products so inflation doesn't have to do with working people's everyday lifes

3

That's why the basket of goods for inflation changes.

It's very hard, but useful, metric.

I got my sunglasses from amazon for like a hours wage. Polarised, 100% UV protection (I even got them independently checked), they lasted like 4 years so far.

People are stupid when they buy glasses.

2

The need to use animated characters probably explains it and that is, it is really not true.

3
lemmy.world

Lower testosterone is probably a big part of it. Look at 23 or 24 year old enhanced bodybuilders. they look like theyre 35. For whatever reason peoples T levels have been going down about 1 percent per year for the last 50 years. Its bound to have an effect.

-7
lemmy.blahaj.zone

How much testosterone you have is not directly related to how 'masculine' you look. It's far more complicated than that. There are people with baby face that have very high levels of testosterone, and people who look very masc that have low levels.

7
  1. thats dumb it literally changes your bone structure rapidly, adding bone to your brow and jaw. GH will cause all your bones to get thicker too.

  2. I wasnt talking about masculinity, i was talking about apparent age. Test converts to DHT over time which in turn causes male hair patterns. Beard growth, receeded hair line, etc. Other than that though, it just makes you look older.

examples :

sam sulek before/after 3 years of roids

natural example : eddie hall looking like hes 25 at 16

1

You know damn well they couldn't afford beef...it was always bell peppers and beef...minus the beef.

8
lemmy.ml

In seriousness? Likely testosterone levels going down. Due to life style changes and chemical exposures.

-23
lemmy.dbzer0.com

I think testosterone levels in cis men actually have been decreasing on average. I don't know how testosterone affects the aging process, so I can't speak on if the other person is being reasonable, though.

Also, last I checked the reason was still a mystery.

6
lemmy.ml

Lifestyle changes are one a reason. We used to be more active, and be out in the sun more which generates greater Vitamin D exposure. Having an indoor job, such as an office job, would definitely result in lower T levels without enough exercise and Vitamin D.

Another thing to consider is the abundance of microplastics. They are endocrine disruptors, and are shown to hurt T levels as well. Along with modern food processing ingredients like soy letchin showing to hurt testosterone levels, it really seems like we created this environment.

On another note, we know testosterone is intrinsically involved in voice maturity and facial hair, which partially leads me to believe it's responsible for more of your appearance.

6

Another forgotten factor is the higher amount of carb(even if the ratio of carbs vs. protein and fats are similar) has also contributed to lower T levels. Albeit not as dramatically, but every little factor is adding up. More T levels are not gonna hurt you(or reduce testicle size) if other biological systems and genetics can take in higher T levels.

3
infosec.pub

Cancer rates in the US are up about 500% since 1970. My brother is in late 20s and is already needing testosterone meds, presumably due to years of work in industrial settings.

2
Croquettereply
sh.itjust.works

I just want to point out that we are better at detecting cancers now and we have a lot more information than in the 70s. So the 500% is still true, but a non negligeable part of that is that we are better at detecting it early.

7
lemmy.ml

I think cancer is going up due to all the unhealthy crap we are exposed to. We all have cancer cells in our body, but I believe that some things we consume may aggravate those cells. Like we don't eat as healthy as people once did.

Many of us consume fast food, soda, candy, and other junk more often than we should, and I think that constantly eating this processed food that we aren't really meant to eat could have this type of effect.

1

I totally agree that cancer are rising, but as I said, some of that raise is explained by the fact that we are better at detecting cancers.

1
SupraMarioreply
lemmy.world

That's because we swapped cigs for Big Macs and HAAS movement.

2
Hyphlosionreply
donphan.social

That is until the “Big” Mac seemed to shrink in size and is now very dry with a bit of sauce and old iceberg lettuce dumped all over it.

Give me a Double Quarter Pounder or give me death!

1

Lol absolutely, the size of it and the whopper has just vanished. I miss the 99c jumbo jacks, those bastards helped get my though college.

2

When me and my friends were in our final years of highschool, we noticed how all the younger kids looked like elementary kids, and we looked younger than the older kids when they were our age then.

There are a few studies showing that there's correlations between testosterone and, well looking older, so that's been my guess for a while now.

-5