LONDON -- British doctors studying identical twins have shown that smoking can cause wrinkles and make people look older than they are, The Times newspaper reported.


Using a new ultrasound technique to measure inner arm skin thickness, doctors at the St. Thomas Hospital in London, who did research into disease and genetics on 25 pairs of identical twins, found that the skin of the twin who smoked was on average a quarter thinner than the twin who didn't.


"Smoking can affect the blood supply to the top layer of skin, and that would damage it," said Dr. Veronique Bataille, a dermatologist involved in the study. "Another way is that a chemical released in the skin after you smoke can release an enzyme that breaks down collagen and elastic tissue," she added.