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5 Things Your Wrinkles Say About

Your Health
ByHALLIE LEVINEJULY 24, 2015

PHOTOGRAPH BY DIMITRI OTIS/GETTY IMAGES

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You can try to erase wrinkles with cosmetic procedures, or you can accept them as a
badge of aginga sign that you've lived your life long and well. You probably know that
some creases can indicate a quick smile and a genial nature; others, a lifetime of
lounging in the sun. What you may not realize is that your wrinkles can also reveal
potential health concerns. Take a look at the following 5:
1. You're at risk for osteoporosis.

PHOTOGRAPH BY STEPHEN SMITH/GETTY IMAGES

Your skin may actually be a window to your bones, according to a 2011 Yale
study. Researchers looked at more than 100 women in their late 40s and
early 50s who were in the first three years of menopause and found that
those with the most and deepest wrinkles actually had the lowest bone
density. (None of the women were on hormone therapy.) "Both bone and
skin share common building blocks, a group of proteins known as collagens,
which decrease as we age," explains study author Lubna Pal, MD, director of
the Program for Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome & Menopause at Yale
University School of Medicine. (Here are 12 simple ways to strengthen your
bones for life.)

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2. You have early-stage heart disease.
A diagonal wrinkle in your ear lobe (see what it looks like here) may be an early warning
sign of ticker trouble. In fact, folks with this ear crease (known as Frank's sign, after the
researcher, Sanders T. Frank, who discovered it in 1973) were much more likely to show
signs of heart disease during a CT scan than people who didn't have the crease,
according to a 2012 study done at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. One
theory is that the wrinkles are caused by the collapse of tiny blood vessels to the ear
lobe, and this is a reflection of changes in blood vessels around the heart, explains Debra
Jaliman, MD, a dermatologist at Mount Sinai School of Medicine.
3. You have high blood pressure.
Women who look younger than their yearsmeaning they have less facial saggingtend
to have lower blood pressure, according to a 2013 study done at Leiden University
Medical Center in the Netherlands. The study also found that both men and women
from families with longevity were less likely to have skin wrinkling on their upper arms
than other people the same age.
MORE: The Unbelievable Reason You're Short On Vitamin D
4. You're under a ton of stress.
Doctors say worrying can give you wrinkles. "I can often tell how anxious a new patient
is by the lines on her face," says NYC dermatologist Janet Prystowsky, MD, PhD. When
you're stressed, you tend to furrow your brow, which over time can lead to

permanent forehead wrinkles. But you'll see them elsewhere on your face as well: When
you're constantly anxious, your body pumps out large amounts of the stress hormone
cortisol, which degrades collagen in your skin. (Are you just stressed, or is it an anxiety
disorder? Such disorders are more common than you think.)
5. You're eating too much sugar.

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF GINGER ADAMS/GETTY IMAGES

When you consume the sweet stuff, the sugar attaches to proteins in your
body to form AGEsa fitting acronym for advanced glycation end products.
AGEs break down collagen and elastin, and that can lead to even more fine
lines and wrinkles, says Holly Kanavy, MD, director of pharmacology at
Montefiore Health System and assistant professor of medicine at Albert
Einstein College of Medicine. If you've got a sweet tooth, try to quench it
with fruit: Research shows that most fruit (but especially pomegranates and
mangos) have antiglycating properties, which means they can reverse the

damage done to your skin. (Check out Sugar Smart Express for a 21-day
plan to break your sugar addiction, drop pounds, and save your skin.)

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