LANDMARK STUDY, PUBLISHED IN ANNALS OF PLASTIC SURGERY, CONCLUDES LIFESTYLE CHOICES EFFECT THE WAY WE AGE

New York...December 15, 1999 - A two-year, unprecedented study on aging and identical twins concludes that lifestyle and environmental factors are the most significant contributors to premature aging. The study entitled "How Environment and Lifestyle Choices Influence the Aging Process" was conducted by world-renown plastic surgeon Darrick Antell, M.D., attending physician at St. Lukes-Roosevelt Hospital. The details of the study - which are published in the December, 1999, issue of the highly respected Medical Journal Annals of Plastic Surgery -- were announced today at 11 a.m. at a press conference at the Roosevelt Division of St. Lukes-Roosevelt Hospital Center, 1000 10th Avenue, New York City.

To present the results of his study, Antell was joined by six sets of identical, face-lifted twins from across the United States -- both male and female, aged 48 to 73 -- who had participated in the study. Antell selected identical twins to help unlock the mystery of "nature vs. nurture," because identical twins develop from a single egg and therefore have identical genes. In theory, they should age identically, but instead he found that frequently one twin looked like an older version of his/her counterpart.

In search of identical twins to participate in the study, Antell traveled to Twinsburg, Ohio, to the annual Twins Days Festival. Over a two-year period, he conducted intensive interviews, studied hundreds of photos and subsequently performed face-lifts on a select group in order to bring them back into balance and so that they would again look as one.

The evidence was clear says Antell: "When one identical twin looked noticeably older than the other, only external factors can account for the differences in appearance. The two most consistent factors that contribute to accelerated aging are smoking and/or sun exposure. Other factors include alcohol consumption, stress, diet, exercise, medications and accidents."

Antell admits that how one ages is largely a consequence of genetics. However, this study proves that individuals can practice defensive aging. By studying sets of identical twins, it is known that their wrinkle patterns and hereditary drooping of the eyelids are identical. But, due to lifestyle and environmental differences, the depth and severity of wrinkles, as well as the amount of excess skin and the quality of the skins texture varied and appeared to be vastly different.

Antell is the first to study identical twins as a control group for an aging population. His interest in identical twins began during his training as a plastic surgeon when he encountered a heart-wrenching pair of identical twin sisters. "One had been badly burned in a fire," he recalls. "I couldn"t help but think how difficult it was for them to look at each other." Antell did what he could to repair the burned twin"s scarred countenance. However, both sisters were left with lasting damage to a prominent feature: Their twinness.

Phase two of Dr. Antell's study will research different face-lift techniques. To date, he has performed more fact-lifts on identical twins than any other physician worldwide. He has performed elective surgery on eight sets of identical twins and will be following them at one-year intervals for 10 years. Each twin has had subtle modifications of the face, and though initially, it is not outwardly apparent, the true test will be seen over time.