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| - Although the photographs did show twins with a difference in sun exposure, a study involving the perceived age differences between identical twins did not say that one of these twins smoked and the other did not. The study also did not say it analyzed the differences over a 16-year period.
For years, a collage of two photographs allegedly depicting identical twins, one who smoked and tanned and another who did not, has circulated widely on social media.
"Effects of sun exposure and smoking. These are identical twins aged 61, the one on the right smoked for 16 years and spent as much time in the sun as she could," read one X post (archived) from October 2024, which had more than 5 million views.
The collage also spread on other social media platforms, including Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Threads.
While the photographs in the collage are authentic, they were frequently miscaptioned. In reality, they solely illustrated the effects of sun exposure on perceived age difference and were unrelated to smoking. Additionally, the study from which the photographs originated did not specify that it examined those effects over a 16-year period.
Origin of photographs
The photographs originated from a 2009 study titled "Factors Contributing to the Facial Aging of Identical Twins" from the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. The purpose of this study was to identify the environmental factors that contribute to facial aging in identical twins.
According to the study's methodology, 186 pairs of identical twins at the Twins Days Festival in Twinsburg, Ohio, completed a "comprehensive questionnaire" and were photographed. A panel reviewed the photographs and noted perceived differences in the twins' ages and facial features.
Although the study was not available online, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons provided Snopes with its contents, allowing us to verify the authenticity of the photographs. While the study confirmed the collage was genuine, it did not attribute the perceived age difference between the twins to smoking. Instead, the research linked increased sun exposure to an older appearance of the in-question twins.
Additionally, in the original study, the collage included four photographs rather than two, with the additional images showing side-profile views of each twin. The caption accompanying the image in the study read:
Fig. 6. Twins (natural age 61) with significant difference in sun exposure. Twin B (right) had approximately 10 hours per week greater sun exposure than twin A (left). Twin A had a body mass index 2.7 points higher than that of twin B. The perceived age difference was 11.25 years.
There was no mention of smoking playing a role in the aging difference between the twins in theseis particular images. Additionally, the study did not state that it analyzed the effects of 16 years of smoking or sun exposure, as social media posts claimed.
Study's findings
The study summarized that "increased sun exposure was associated with an older appearance and accelerated with aging." It also found that the longer a twin smoked, the older they appeared, and it included other example photographs to illustrate this effect. According to the study, "each 10 years of smoking difference led to a 2-year increase in perceived age."
The study concluded that multiple environmental factors may contribute to facial aging:
This analysis of monozygotic twins inherently allowed for the control of the genetic influences of aging. Our study provides further confirmation that aging and sun exposure have deleterious effects on the skin. Also, marital status, alcohol consumption, and use of antidepressants increased the perceived age of individuals. Increased body mass index in younger twins led to an older appearance, whereas as the twins increased in age, a higher body mass index led to a decrease in perceived age.
Snopes has covered other rumors related to twins, including that an obscure 1909 law in Arizona allegedly allows a U.S. senator's identical twin to replace them for the remainder of their term and a story claiming that after two sets of identical twins married each other, a doctor told them to stop.
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