While it’s true that everyone ages, why do we hear so often that women age faster than men? Does this claim have any truth to it, or is it just a myth fueled by social expectations?
Why do women age faster than men?
Here at Sphere Medium we shall discuss the facts, dispel the myths and check out what science has to say about these claims.
So do we women age faster than a man does,
is that true?
Let’s dive into the differences; our hormones.
During Aunt Flo’s visits (yes you got it, our monthly period) pregnancy, and then the menopause, our bodies go through several hormonal changes. Our estrogen levels drop quite quickly as compared to a man’s testosterone levels, which can make us age slightly faster.
Because men’s hormone levels drop at a slower speed it doesn’t have as much of an impact on their skin and overall ageing process as estrogen loss does in women.
There are changes in the structure of skin due to the drop of collagen levels, and because women tend to have thinner skin the drop of collagen production makes their skin crapey, more thinner looking and wrinkles start to develop.
Men’s youthfulness is due to their longer collagen production, the slower drop in hormones and the thicker skin.
Collagen is a protein which keeps skin, hair, and nails healthy, strong, and youthful looking
Effects of Childbearing
Pregnancy and childbirth can be hard on a woman’s body and mind. Stress can cause early signs of ageing like droopy skin, stretch marks, and tiredness.
Men do not directly feel this strain, which means they can keep their young energy for a longer time.
Menopause vs. Andropause
When a woman hits menopause, her body stops making estrogen. This is a big event in her life that usually happens between the ages of 45 and 55 (it can differ from woman to woman).
This change in hormones speeds up the ageing process and causes changes in the skin, the density of the bones, and the amount of energy you have overall.
Andropause, which is like the menopause which happens to men later on in life and a lot slower, usually in their late 60s or early 70s which causes men to start having a decrease in libido, cognitive issues, muscle loss and irritability. These changes don’t happen as quickly for men as they do for women during this time.
Women are more likely than men of the same age to get osteoporosis and lose bone mass after menopause. This can make them look weaker and older.
Differences in lifestyle
A lot of women have more than one job or responsibility, like caring for others, working, and running the household. Stress that doesn’t go away and not taking care of yourself can speed up the ageing process.
Men, on the other hand, may not feel as much pressure from society to play various roles, which may help them stay youthful longer. I’m not saying men are insensitive to things and carefree, no not at all but some men are immune to take things in their stride where as a woman has so much pressure to please everyone, especially the in laws which adds to the pressure, hence the ageing.
Pressure and expectations from society
Society puts a lot of pressure on women to look young and perfect.
Social media, influencers and their filtered images, makeup gurus and their miracle blur out balms and promising products advertised under heavy editing which is misleading again putting immense amount of pressure on women.
The pressure to look good is out there for men too but it once again all comes down to the hormone game. They age slower due to their (as mentioned above) testosterone levels dropping alot slower than a woman’s estrogen level does.
Emotional and mental stress
Women often have a lot on their minds, like emotional labor, taking care of family, and meeting societal standards. This can cause long-term stress. Stress that lasts for a long time has been shown to speed up ageing.
Men can feel stressed too, but they tend to deal with it differently or don’t have to do as much to juggle or care for others emotionally, which may slow down their ageing process.
Sun Exposure and Skin Protection
Women start to show effects of sun damage a lot sooner than men do and that again is due to the men having thicker skin, and hormonal advantages.
Protecting your skin, both men and women, from the sun is absolutely crucial. Sun damage is one of the main reasons people age, and women who spend a lot of time in the sun without protecting themselves can age faster.
So why do women age faster than men?
- Women’s metabolisms slow down alot sooner than a man’s.
- A woman’s fat distribution over time changes, it starts appearing around the tummy area, thighs and hips and starts disappearing from face and neck area, making her look older.
- Women tend to start losing muscle mass too making them overall weaker.
- Men on the other hand have a quick metabolism for a longer period.
- Their fat is distributed throughout their body proportionally.
- Their muscle mass remains intact for a longer time as compared to ours making them look youthful and strong.
How can we women help ourselves to remain healthy during the perimenopause and menopause phase? (A blog coming soon about these two stages in life)
- Strength training (most important)
- Light exercises & walks
- Eating the right foods
- self-love and care
- Taking up a hobby and keeping busy.
- And most importantly, staying happy
Thank you for reading, Do women age faster than men.
To ensure authenticity and thoroughness, I used a range of sources when putting this blog together. Do leave feedback in the comments section below, and carry on reading here at Sphere Medium.
FAQs
Yes they do, reason being their thicker skin, hormonal advantages and not hitting the male version of the menopause until their late 60s.
Indeed she can. A healthy diet, exercises and overall keeping yourself stress free is important.
It can either make you look younger or if gone wrong, make you look a lot older. One must find an extremely good Dr who would guide you honestly. As some Dr’s are out there just for the money.
Yes they can and your Dr can advice you best which ones to take.
It is said that powder form is easily absorbed, dose can be adjusted according to your needs.
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