Why Do Some People Look Older Than They Should?

The study investigated factors associated with looking older among 318 men and 129 women in London. It found that men appeared on average 0.37 years older than their actual age, while women appeared 0.54 years younger. In men, looking older was linked to greying hair, arcus senilis, baldness, higher total serum cholesterol, and blood haemoglobin levels. For women, it was associated with greying hair, higher erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and lower serum bilirubin. Factors like alcohol consumption and employment grade were not related to perceived age in either sex. The study concluded that the connections between perceived age and certain blood markers warrant further research.