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Skin Virtual Age (SVA)

Your Skin’s Virtual Age Quiz

These are the questions a dermatologists asks his/her patients when they walk into their office. There’s no right or wrong answer. However, for such a simple quiz, it offers profound benefits. In less than three minutes, you’ll know your skin’s virtual age, or SVA. This is your tool for beginning to piece together your personalized anti-aging prescription—and start changing the face you see in the mirror every morning.
Directions: Write down your actual age, then add and subtract points according  to your answers to the questions that follow.

My actual age is: _______
Lifestyle

1. I wear sunscreen

  • A. Every day of the year (subtract 1)
  • B. Sometimes (during the summer, on sunny days, or when I plan to be outside for several hours (add 0)
  • C. Very rarely (add 1) 

2. As a child, how many of your summer days were spent outside?

  • A. Few (subtract 1)
  • B. Some (add 0)
  • C. As many as possible (add 1)

3. When I was a teenager, sun exposure was something

  • A. I avoided (subtract 1)
  • B. I didn’t think about much (add 0)
  • C. I tried to get as often as possible (add 1)

4. Did you even smoke?

  • A. Never (add 0)
  • B. I used to smoke, but I stopped more than ten years ago (add 0)
  • C. I used to smoke, but I stopped less than ten years ago (add 1)
  • D. Yes and I still do (add 2)

5. I eat several servings of fruits and vegetables

  • A. Every day (subtract 1)
  • B. Once a week (add 0)
  • C. Do French fries and ketchup count? (add 1)

6. I exercise

  • A. Three times a week or more (subtract 1)
  • B. Once a week (add 0)
  • C. As little as possible (add 1)

If your parents are living, answer the next two questions. If not, skip to question 9.

Genes

7. Right now, my mother

  • A. Looks younger than her age (subtract 1)
  • B. Looks about her age (add 0)
  • C. Might be mistaken for my grandmother (add 1)

8. Right now, my father

  • A. Looks younger than his age (subtract 1)
  • B. Looks about his age (add 0)
  • C. Might be mistaken for my grandfather (add 1)

Current Appearance
Take out a hand mirror and stand near a bring window or in your brightly lit bathroom. (Don’t be scared!)

9. The lines on the sides of my eyes are

  • A. Pretty much nonexistent, even when I smile or frown (subtract 1)
  • B. Apparent only when I smile or frown (add 0)
  • C. Quite visible, regardless of my expression (add 1)

20. The lines and crinkles under my eyes are

  • A. Very faint and few in number (subtract 1)
  • B. Noticeable and bothersome (add 0)
  • C. Deep and numerous (add 1)

21. When I lift my eyebrows and then release them, any forehead lines

  • A. Vanish immediately (subtract 1)
  • B. Take a second or two to fade (add 0)
  • C. Stick around (add 1)

22. My general skin tone and color is

  • A. Even (subtract 1)
  • B. Slightly blotchy in certain areas, such as my cheeks (add 0)
  • C. Uneven, with brown spots scattered around my face (add 1)

23. When I touch the skin under my jawline along my upper neck, it feels

  • A. Supple and firm (subtract 1)
  • B. A bit more jiggly than it used to (add 0)
  • C. Saggy and loose (add 1)

My skin’s virtual age + (or -) test score= ______

Please don’t be discouraged if your SVA is higher than your actual age. This doesn’t mean that you’re too far gone or that your wrinkles and brown spots will only get worse. One the contrary you can use your score, whatever it is, to your full advantage. It is a jumping-off point, a signal that your skin’s brightest days are just ahead.
 

Additional Resources

Publications
The Youth Equation
More Information
Aging Skin Basics
Skin Care
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