Why Women Seem to Age Faster Than Men

It’s not a secret that women live longer than men. This seems like good news for the ladies, yet there’s one thing that they didn’t expect. It turns out that women age faster than men. And it’s no surprise, ladies have plenty of reasons for this — from pregnancy to menopause and this is not where the list ends.

Bright Side is on a mission to find out why men manage to stay younger longer.

Women suffer from stress more than men.

Women are more prone to mental breakdowns, especially if they are work-related, according to Dr. Judith Mohring. Besides, the hormonal difference is what explains it all. Hormone fluctuations are associated with depression. What’s more, Seasonal Affective Disorder affects women more than men. Constant stress inevitably leads to early aging.

Women who’ve given birth age faster.

A study conducted at George Mason University proved that pregnancy makes you look 11 years older. The thing is, women who’ve given birth have shorter telomeres than those who have never had a child. The shorter your telomeres are the older you look. Besides, stress during pregnancy is not uncommon, which also speeds up the aging process.

Male skin is thicker.

According to dermatologists, male skin is 25% thicker than female skin. The percentage may vary from person to person but the general figure remains the same. However, even though there are fewer wrinkles on male faces, the ones that are there are deeper than the female ones.

The levels of testosterone are different.

Estrogen is responsible for a youthful female face while testosterone is typical in men. High levels of testosterone slow down aging. Although estrogen also serves as an anti-aging hormone, its production declines faster than that of testosterone. That’s why women are the first to get wrinkles.

Menopause takes its toll.

The loss of hormones during menopause speeds up the aging process. When women go through menopause, their bodies stop producing as much collagen as they used to. This causes the loss of the skin’s elasticity.

Do you believe women age faster than men? Do you look young for your age?