Skin tone and age
This article was originally published in The Rose Sheet
Executive Summary
Facial skin color distribution, or tone, can add or subtract as much as 20 years to a woman's age, according to a new study conducted by scientists at the Ludwig-Boltzmann-Institute for Urban Ethology in Australia and the Department for Sociobiology/Anthropology at the University of Goettingen in Germany. Presented at the Human Behavior and Evolution Society Annual Meeting in Philadelphia June 7-11, the study involved taking digital photos of 169 Caucasian women aged 10-70 and used specialized morphing software to "drape" each subject's face over a standardized bone structure. Subjects with the most even skin tone received higher ratings for attractiveness and were perceived to be younger in age, according to the study. "Whether a woman is 17 or 70, the contrast of skin tone plays a significant role in the way her age, beauty and health is perceived," researchers conclude...