Do you look markedly younger than your age?

[Jody]

@ jody I got pegged as older when I was younger too. When I'm in a good patch people generally guess my age at about mid to late thirties. I recently turned 48. When I'm flared up usually guessed at about 45.

Of course when I had my dreds people guessed younger, and if all my tattoos are visible they guess younger yet. I chalk that up to social conditioning.

Yeah, social conditioning plays a big part I think. I put henna on my hair (no chemicals) because otherwise I would have some grey patches in my dark hair, and alot of grey streaks. Looks like mange. Or skunky. So I put some red on it. Definitely looks younger that way.:Retro tongue:

Something that made a difference for me I think is acupuncture. My face was looking bloated and flabby. Baggy eyes. Saggy face. After my very first monthly acupuncture two and a half years ago, within 24 hrs I noticed I looked a bit more like ... me. And that has continued to be the case with each visit.

 

[George]

Older, then younger, now just sick

Younger right up till the big crash at 43, I'm 47 now and look it. These last three and a half years have really taken a toll! However, from age 15 to age 43 people guessed 20 something! It was a nice run.

 

[Jody]

OK, I'm not going to totally fess up to my age (there is still that marginalized thing about being "old") but I am notably older than most here, sigh, but I've noticed on forums that chronological age really doesn't seem to "show" in our posts and the attitudes behind them--most of us seem to mature beings (whatever that means!). That said, yes I am taken to be a lot younger than I am...and when I was young, I was taken to be older. So what the hell is this about?

I kinda thought before that because I had been sick so much in life I had learned early the basics of self-care--diet, exercise nutrients--and maybe that was why I looked younger. Yipes, my hair is not even noticeably gray and statistically it damn well should be. I also have not really changed my life-style basics, even though I have had to adjust them radically. On a good day I'll still take off on my bike or go skinny dipping in the middle of the night!

For me, age is one of those "how did this ever happen?" things. Last time I took note, I was 30!

Sushi

I'd have guessed you to be around 30, actually.

I know what you mean about the aging surprise thing though. I remember reading a book by Bill Cosby when I was in my late 30's. He said the thing you feel most, as you age, and feel it all the more the older you get is ... surprise. You look at your reflection and feel ... surprised. You run out of energy, clothes don't fit the same etc. and you feel ... surprised. And you never get used to this. You just keep getting surprised.

At that time I had had a bit of this. But now, at 54, I'd have to say, Bill knew what he was talking about.

 

[kit]

Same here, however I feel as though since I've been ill I am aging much faster.

When I was thirty six I gotten taken for 22.

Also same here Jody 'Funny, when I was 15 and 16, people thought I was older'

Same here, same here, same here. So. . . I'm wondering WHY do people with neurasthenia appear younger? I remember hearing about a study years ago that examined the genes of people who lived to be 100 or more. It was found they all had a defective gene related to aging which caused them to age more slowly across the lifespan, live longer and look younger. Since I've been markedly young looking my adult life up until CFS, and all my maternal relatives lived exceptionally long lives, I figured I had that defective gene. Do any other young-lookers have long-lived relatives?

 

[Jody]

Hi kit,

Welcome to the forums. :Retro smile:

Long-lived, huh?

Let's see. My mother's mother lived to be I think about 75 or so. Her dad was about 70.

My father's mother made it to 100. His dad was I think 85.

So ... I guess, yes and no?

 

[Sushi]

My grandmother lived to 110! She won a golf tournament at 95.:victory:

Sushi

 

[fresh_eyes]

Very interesting, kit. 3 of my grandparents lived well into their 90s. Found this:

Longevity Gene' Common Among People Living To 100 Years Old And Beyond

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090203081624.htm

That's really part of what I'm wondering, are those of us who look really young actually aging more slowly? And could that be related somehow to CFS? What a thought!

 

[kit]

Thanks for the welcome, Jody. :Retro smile: Do you perchance physically resemble your father's mother? You're pretty dang young-looking.

 

[Jody]

Thanks for the welcome, Jody. :Retro smile: Do you perchance physically resemble your father's mother? You're pretty dang young-looking.

Oh, kit ...

I sincerely hope not!:Retro tongue:

I resemble my mother's mother quite a bit. Don't really look like any of the other three.

 

[fresh_eyes]

Same here, same here, same here. So. . . I'm wondering WHY do people with neurasthenia appear younger?

The author of the delightfully titled Sexual Neurasthenia, published in 1905 - where I got this idea in the first place - thinks it's because neurasthenia, "as jealous as a woman," keeps out other, rival diseases.

I have heard quite a bit of talk around here about never getting colds, etc. ?

 

[kit]

That's really part of what I'm wondering, are those of us who look really young actually aging more slowly? And could that be related somehow to CFS? What a thought!

Yes, I've wondered this exact same thing, having read some other place (I'm horrible with details) that mitochondria are responsible for the aging process. Thanks for posting that study, fresheyes.

 

[Sing]

I expect that the reason a lot of us look younger than our age is because we are too sick to drink, smoke, take "recreational" drugs or get massively overweight. I like to joke with doctors in initial interviews when they ask me if I drink alcohol--I say I am not HEALTHY enough to drink., ha, ha. They don't get it, but I bet you do!

Sing

 

[Michael Dessin]

YES!! This is really fascinating, it seems a lot of ME/CFS patients look younger and are late bloomers in a way. My baby teeth wouldnt even fall out, many had to be yanked....wisdom teeth, only got the bottoms one, came very late!! I had a late growth spurt around 19yrs old as well. I look ten years younger than my friends, were 35.

 

[Aileen]

I'm another one who has always looked considerably younger than my age. My Dad didn't look his age until the last couple years of his life, he died at age 80. My mother is 86 and going strong looking after me instead of the other way around Several aunts look younger than their ages too and I have most aunts & uncles living into their early 80's.

My baby teeth were late falling out too. Most kids had at least half their adult teeth before I started to lose mine.

 

[blackbird]

I look a lot younger than I am, but as others have said, have started catching up recently.

I dare say it might be something you wouldn't be as happy to say if you looked older than you are, but are there members who don't fit this?
Otherwise it's looking like a clean sweep.

In light of the UK 0% XMRV study, can we say we're 1,000,000% confident in our scientific study that ME/CFS is only found in the young looking?

 

[George]

Bark, bark, snort Blackbird! Yeah, the science here may be a bit better and, a whole lot more honest! ( snort, grins)

 

[Lucie]

When I first got this I looked markedly younger, but in the last three years I have gone down hill and look much older. (I've had the illness four years.) I am one of the few who lost weight rather than gained. This didn't help.

 

[fresh_eyes]

In light of the UK 0% XMRV study, can we say we're 1,000,000% confident in our scientific study that ME/CFS is only found in the young looking?

Bark, bark, snort Blackbird! Yeah, the science here may be a bit better and, a whole lot more honest! ( snort, grins)

Conflicts of interest: NONE!

 

[liverock]

20 years ago I foolishly asked my neighbour's 6 year old twin girls how old they thought I was. "At least 90 years old!!" they chorused in unison.

Looking in the mirror has never been the same since..................

 

[Jody]

LOL

An important lesson learned, liverock.

NEVER ask a child how old you look.

My daughter, who was 18 at the time, asked that question of a 6 yr old she babysat. He said he thought she was as old as his dad. (who was 40 at the time... ) :Retro tongue: