September 2, 2011

Science Shows That Saliva Reveals Your True Age

Technological advances can now help researchers determine how old a person is without looking at their birth certificate. Lead researcher and director of the Center for Society and Genetics at UCLA, Eric Vilain claims that a person’s age can now be revealed through the DNA in their saliva.

Vilain concludes that this type of research will someday be able to help forensic experts determine the age of criminals. For individuals with plastic surgery, this means that the secret of their true age may be revealed in an unusual way!

The Connection Between Aging and Saliva

The research began by taking a number of identical male twins ranging from ages 20-50. It is the chemical process of methylation that offers insight into how saliva reveals age.  Surprisingly, researchers discovered that methylation increases in older twins. They then took the study to regular individuals, and the same conclusion applied. When saliva was tested, researchers could guess their ages within a five year span by studying this complex chemical process.

In medicine, this research proves to be useful. Doctors and surgeons may someday be able to tell a patient a realistic outcome of an age related disease due to significant DNA methylation changes. This makes customising treatments for individuals suffering from disease easier and more accurate. For example, it may be discovered that a disease is more common in people with a higher saliva age number than in a person with significantly lower biological age.

Aging Gracefully With Plastic Surgery

The “true age” that saliva may reveal through science doesn’t change an individual’s desire to look their best regardless of the number on their birth certificate. Plastic surgery is still a great option for those that what to achieve that goal. In the future, this science may even play a role in improved plastic surgery procedures. Contact us today to discuss how we apply the latest medical knowledge to benefit our patients.

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