Skin aging process manifests differently between populations regarding the time of development and affects by environmental factors, like sun exposure, smoking and other life-style factors. In the present study, we compared the ethnic difference in the manifestation of skin aging between Chinese and German women in the age range of 65 to 90 years old, by means of the SCINEXATM (score of intrinsic and extrinsic skin aging), a validated skin aging score. We applied linear and logistic regression to calculate the ethnic difference and adjusted for potential confounding factors, like sun exposure, smoking, BMI, cooking fuels. In the elder population, wrinkles under eyes (p<0.001), on upper lips (p=0.001) as well as laxity of eyelids (p=0.025) and laxity of cheeks (p<0.001) were more pronounced in German women than Chinese women, while wrinkles on forehead (p<0.001) and nasolabial folds (p=0.002) were more pronounced in Chinese in the regression model after adjustment for further factors influencing skin aging. The divergence of pigment spots severity seemed to depend on different body sites between Chinese women and German women. Chinese women showed bigger size pigment spots on face than German women, both on forehead and on cheeks p<0.001, potential confounding variables were also adjusted. In contrast, German women had more pigment spots on their arms (p<0.001) and hands (p=0.001) than age-matched Chinese women in the regression model.
Sun exposure was a crucial risk factor for skin aging symptoms in German women, and particularly appeared to have a significant role in the development of pigment spots. In Chinese women, indoor air pollution from cooking with coal or biomass had a considerable effect on skin aging signs. We assessed the influence of indoor air pollution in 857 Chinese women ranging in the age from 28 to 90 years old by adjusted linear and logistic regression. Indoor air pollution by cooking fuels was significantly correlated to an increased: wrinkles on forehead (p<0.001), wrinkles in the crow’s feet area (p=0.001), wrinkles on upper lip (p=0.036), nasolabial fold (p<0.001), laxity of eyelids (p=0.007), laxity of cheeks (p=0.019) and fine wrinkles on back of hands (p=0.027). In previous research, we found adverse effects of air pollutants on skin aging, in particular to pigment spots and less pronounced to wrinkles in German women. However, we did not observe the significant association between air pollution and the development of pigment spots on face in Chinese women from Taizhou. It seemed that other risk factors than indoor air pollution or gene-indoor air pollution interactions might be significant determinant of pigment spots on face in Chinese women. Overall, these results indicated that indoor air pollution might affect skin aging as well.
Key words: skin aging, wrinkle, pigment spots, indoor air pollution, ethnic difference
Skin aging process manifests differently between populations regarding the time of development and affects by environmental factors, like sun exposure, smoking and other life-style factors. In the present study, we compared the ethnic difference in the manifestation of skin aging between Chinese and German women in the age range of 65 to 90 years old, by means of the SCINEXATM (score of intrinsic and extrinsic skin aging), a validated skin aging score. We applied linear and logistic regression to calculate the ethnic difference and adjusted for potential confounding factors, like sun exposure, smoking, BMI, cooking fuels. In the elder population, wrinkles under eyes (p<0.001), on upper lips (p=0.001) as well as laxity of eyelids (p=0.025) and laxity of cheeks (p<0.001) were more pronounced in German women than Chinese women, while wrinkles on forehead (p<0.001) and nasolabial folds (p=0.002) were more pronounced in Chinese in the regression model after adjustment for further factors influencing skin aging. The divergence of pigment spots severity seemed to depend on different body sites between Chinese women and German women. Chinese women showed bigger size pigment spots on face than German women, both on forehead and on cheeks p<0.001, potential confounding variables were also adjusted. In contrast, German women had more pigment spots on their arms (p<0.001) and hands (p=0.001) than age-matched Chinese women in the regression model. Sun exposure was a crucial risk factor for skin aging symptoms in German women, and particularly appeared to have a significant role in the development of pigment spots. In Chinese women, indoor air pollution from cooking with coal or biomass had a considerable effect on skin aging signs. We assessed the influence of indoor air pollution in 857 Chinese women ranging in the age from 28 to 90 years old by adjusted linear and logistic regression. Indoor air pollution by cooking fuels was significantly correlated to an increased: wrinkles on forehead (p<0.001), wrinkles in the crow’s feet area (p=0.001), wrinkles on upper lip (p=0.036), nasolabial fold (p<0.001), laxity of eyelids (p=0.007), laxity of cheeks (p=0.019) and fine wrinkles on back of hands (p=0.027). In previous research, we found adverse effects of air pollutants on skin aging, in particular to pigment spots and less pronounced to wrinkles in German women. However, we did not observe the significant association between air pollution and the development of pigment spots on face in Chinese women from Taizhou. It seemed that other risk factors than indoor air pollution or gene-indoor air pollution interactions might be significant determinant of pigment spots on face in Chinese women. Overall, these results indicated that indoor air pollution might affect skin aging as well. Key words: skin aging, wrinkle, pigment spots, indoor air pollution, ethnic difference