Why today’s young people look so old: Experts reveal the six very surprising reasons younger generations are ageing faster than previous ones

Generation Z struggles to buy a home, is struggling with student debt, and now has another problem to deal with: they fear they are aging faster than previous generations.

On the video platform TikTok, both men and women in their early 20s complain about being mistaken for people well into their 30s. One video about the phenomenon, made by 26-year-old Jordan Howlett, has been viewed 24 million times.

Even Gen Z celebrities seem to be aging at an accelerated rate. Kylie Jenner, the youngest member of the Kardashian family, who admitted to getting lip filler at 17, was roundly criticized during Paris Fashion Week for looking “in her 40s” when she’s actually 27.

Some experts argue that there may be some truth to these observations.

“From a scientific perspective, Generation Z is not aging faster than previous generations, but certain lifestyle choices can make them look older than their biological age,” explains dermatologist and cosmetic physician Dr. Sonia Khorana.

According to Dr. Khorana, people in their 20s are more likely than any other generation to have cosmetic procedures done to alter their appearance, which can make them look older.

An estimated 41,000 Botox-like procedures were performed on under-18s in England in 2020, leading to a government ban on the treatments for minors.

But it is not just cosmetic treatments that are prematurely aging today’s youth. Stress and skin care also play a role.

So is this age group worrying for nothing, or are they actually aging faster?

HARD SKIN CARE

Many teens and twenty-somethings have complicated, multi-step skincare routines because they’re exposed to aggressive wellness marketing and seductive online beauty influencers.

The irony is that these early experiments with powerful ingredients like retinol and chemical exfoliants, which are not suitable for young skin, can actually cause dryness, making skin look more mature, when they are actually trying to prevent signs of aging.

And according to recent research, Generation Z (people aged 12-27) spend more on beauty and skincare than any other group: around £466 a year.

“There is peer pressure to try the products that influencers promote on social media, but these are often not suitable for people under 30,” Dr. Khorana explains.

Using retinol on young skin can also damage the skin barrier and cause irritation. It can even trigger conditions such as dermatitis.

Dr. Khorana’s advice? Stick to SPF, the best anti-ager on the market. Late 20s people can start introducing retinoids if they want to combat fine lines, but anyone younger should stick to cleansing and moisturizing.

FILLER FACE

Most of us can look back at photos of ourselves in our early 20s and think we looked gorgeously baby-faced. But now, nearly 60 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds are feeling pressure to change their appearance, meaning they’re more likely to seek out cosmetic procedures like fillers.

‘Dermal fillers are great for adding volume to the face. However, too much filler can have the opposite effect, making you look older because of the shadows it can create on the face,’ explains GP and aesthetician Dr Ahmed El Muntasar (theaestheticsdoctor.com).

Trying to emulate the looks of millennial celebrities can also make Gen Z look older than they are.

Disturbingly, some beauticians are selling tweaking kits designed to make their clients look more like a certain celebrity, like Kim Kardashian. But Kardashian is in her 40s, so a young girl buying a kit is essentially paying to look older.

Another risk of injectables is ‘perception drift’. This is the snowball effect that can occur when young people ‘fix’ one problem with a tweak, but then become obsessed with another body part and feel they need more and more procedures.

CLOSING KEY FOODS

Veganism, juice cleanses and high-protein diets are hugely popular among the frugal Generation Z.

Research shows that more than a quarter are vegan or vegetarian, compared to 14 percent of Gen Xers (ages 44 to 59) and 12 percent of Baby Boomers (ages 60 to 78). But cutting out certain food groups can not only negatively impact your overall health, but also your appearance.

“Depriving your body of certain nutrients and minerals, such as by cutting out carbohydrates or not eating enough protein, can lead to imbalances that can change the distribution of fat in your face,” Dr. El Muntasar explains. “When you lose the fat pads in your face, you are essentially losing your facial scaffolding, which can make you look hollow and significantly age you.”

SUN BED WORSHIP

For older people who are all too aware of the health risks, it is surprising that 43 percent of Gen Z admit to using tanning beds. Yet this dangerous trend is all over social media.

“On TikTok, tanning bed trips have become a genre of their own, normalizing the idea of ​​baking under UV rays, which is obviously very damaging,” says Dr. Khorana (@dermgp).

Tanning bed use not only increases the risk of skin cancer, but also contributes to skin aging due to the powerful UVA radiation emitted by tanning beds.

Although the full visible effects of sun damage don’t become apparent until after 20 years of age, malignant melanoma (a skin cancer linked to UVA damage) is the most common cancer in women in their 20s.

Puffing on vapes

A recent study from University College London found that the number of 18- to 24-year-olds in England inhaling nicotine products has risen from 28 percent to 35 percent since 2021, a higher percentage than any other age group.

“Nicotine vapes can cause premature aging because nicotine causes the breakdown of collagen in the skin. In some cases, vaping can be almost as bad for you as smoking cigarettes,” says Dr. El Muntasar.

Because vaping is still a relatively new phenomenon, the long-term effects are not yet clear. However, the repetitive motion of sucking on a vape for extended periods of time, similar to smoking cigarettes, can also lead to smoker’s lines (deep, defined wrinkles) around the mouth later in life.

He advises young people to switch to an e-cigarette that does not contain nicotine as a first step towards quitting.

STRESSED

Today’s young people report feeling more stressed and anxious than any other generation. According to a survey of 12,000 employees last year, Gen Z is the most stressed demographic in the workplace, with 98 percent reporting symptoms of burnout.

Dr. El Muntasar says this can literally make you look older, as the stress hormone cortisol can cause a breakdown of collagen and elastin in the skin. High stress levels can also cause temporary hair loss or thinning by causing hormonal imbalances that can disrupt the hair’s natural growth cycle, causing it to fall out prematurely.