Bee-stung pout is key to looking younger

Jan 11, 2010 18:31 GMT  ·  By

Recent research has established that it’s not just wrinkles that can give away a person’s real age as it’s a sum of factors that actually does that. However, a new study has come to show that the effect of these factors can be altogether canceled if the person in question has a set of full, bee-stung lips, which is the only thing that can make someone look younger, the Telegraph says.

This will certainly come as wonderful news for those of us who are already praising the effects of silicone injections and other fillers currently in use in the cosmetic industry. Having a fuller set of lips can actually take off years of one’s face, regardless of whether they have many wrinkles, dark circles under the eyes or even saggy skin, researchers have demonstrated.

The problem is having naturally full and young lips can hardly be achieved. “Devotees of collagen injections and silicone implants have long believed it and now research has backed their theory that a bee stung pout can belie their true age. Even if the woman in question has wrinkles, eye bags, sagging jowls and graying hair, a rosy and firm set of lips will make them appear younger. However, there is little women can do naturally to keep the youthful appearance of their lips because that is determined by genes rather than outside factors such as sun damage,” the Telegraph writes citing this recent study.

David Gunn, a research scientist at Unilever, worked with researchers from seven universities to establish this connection between fuller lips and looking younger than one’s age. The team analyzed 102 pairs of white Dutch female twins (aged 59-81) and 162 British white women (aged 45-75), and came to the conclusion that those women with fuller lips actually seemed younger than their real age. Unfortunately, the aging of the lips is determined by genes, as also is the graying or loss of hair.

“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,” Gunn says of the findings. Celebrities with full lips that are certain to win the battle against old age (but only in certain respects) are Marilyn Monroe, Scarlett Johansson and, of course, Angelina Jolie.