CINCINNATI, Oct. 26 (UPI) -- A U.S. study reveals that wrinkles aren't the only cue the human eye looks for to evaluate age -- skin tone can add 10 to 12 years to a woman.
The study, published in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior, used three-dimensional imaging and morphing software to remove wrinkles and furrows from pictures of women, leaving skin tone as the only variable.
Lead researcher Dr. Karl Grammer, director of the Ludwig-Boltzmann-Institute for Urban Ethology at the University of Vienna, Austria, said the researchers were able to determine exactly what impact facial skin tone has on how young, healthy and attractive people perceive the women to be. Faces with more even skin tone were judged to be younger, according to Grammer.
"Until now, behavioral scientists have mostly ignored the overall homogeneity and color saturation of a person's skin," says Grammer. "This study points out that wrinkles aren't the only visual cue to a woman's age."
