The deeper and more numerous a woman's wrinkles after menopause, the more fragile her bones are, according to new research from Yale University (USA). Studying the number and depth of wrinkles on the face and neck of 114 women in their 50s and the firmness of their skin and measuring bone density with a bone densitometry device (DEXA), Lubna Pal and colleagues have found that more wrinkled skin indicates that there is a greater risk of bone fracture. What's more, the wrinkles that best reflect the state of the bones are those found between both eyebrows , on the nose. On the contrary, the firmer the skin, the higher the bone density and the stronger the bones of a person.
Behind this connection could be a protein, type 1 collagen , a key component of both skin and bones, which is lost as we age. This loss is accelerated by the hormonal changes that are experienced after menopause. Scientists believe that the study, which was presented at the annual meeting of the American Endocrinological Society held in Boston, USA, could lead to the development of a new, simple and inexpensive way to identify the risk of fractures in postmenopausal women .
