Forget glugging countless glasses of water or getting your beauty sleep. The secret of looking young is simply to stay out of the sun.
別再熱衷于瘋狂飲水和睡美容覺了。青春常駐的秘訣其實只有一個：遠離陽光。

A study of hundreds of women has revealed that those who avoided the sun’s rays looked up to 20 years younger than they actually are.
在對數百名女士進行調查后，一項研究發現：那些遠離太陽輻射的女性看起來會比實際年齡年輕二十歲。

However, other supposed rules for a youthful complexion, from drinking lots of water to sleeping well and exercising regularly, failed to hold back the hands of time.
而人們公認的其他保持青春容顏的法則，比如多喝水，睡美容覺，定期鍛煉，卻并不能阻止無情的歲月在臉上留下痕跡。

Only keeping out of the sun, and wearing sunscreen when this wasn’t possible, made a difference, the American Academy of Dermatology’s annual conference will hear today.
美國皮膚科學會的年會將公布這一發現：只有遠離日光，或者在不得不接受日曬時涂防曬霜，才能和歲月抵抗幾個回合。

The intriguing finding comes from a study of 231 women of all ages who were quizzed about their lives, including whether they were sun-worshippers.
這項有趣的發現來自對231名各個年齡層女性的研究。研究人員對她們的生活習慣進行問卷調查，包括她們是否喜歡曬太陽。

When researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital in the US - commissioned by skincare firm Olay - guessed how old the women were, they found those who took care in the sun tended to have aged more slowly.
隨后，受護膚品公司玉蘭油的委托，美國麻省總醫院的研究人員對這些女性的年齡進行估算，發現采取防曬措施的女性衰老速度更慢。

A lucky four had so few wrinkles and age spots, and such a glowing complexion, that they appeared to be a full two decades younger than they really were.
其中四名女性幾乎沒有任何皺紋和老年斑，容光煥發，以至于她們看起來比實際年齡整整年輕了二十歲。

Researcher Dr Alexa Kimball, a professor of dermatology, said the popular perception that we drink lots of water to stay healthy is a myth and the body is ‘pretty good’ at judging how much we need.
研究人員亞歷克斯·金博博士是一位皮膚科教授，她稱，多喝水能保持健康的流行觀點是無稽之談，我們的身體能準確判斷所需的飲水量。

Previous research by the British Nutrition Foundation reached a similar conclusion.
此前，英國營養協會的研究也得出了相似結論。

Experts there said: ‘Just drinking water for the sake of drinking water really has no effect on improving the appearance of skin.’
該協會的專家稱：“為了喝水而喝水，真的不會起到改善皮膚的作用。”

It isn’t clear why the women who slept well didn’t have younger-looking skin. But it may be that the question they were asked was too narrow and didn’t take into account their long-term sleep patterns.
至于睡眠質量好的女性為何沒能擁有更年輕的皮膚，原因尚不清楚。但這可能是因為問卷調查覆蓋的方面太窄，沒有考慮到受試者的長期睡眠模式。

A second study, also by Olay, suggested that low-level day to day exposure to the sun is more ageing that occasional, intense blasts.
玉蘭油公司發起的第二項研究顯示，經常性地暴露在低強度日光下，比偶爾的暴曬更易使人衰老。

Finally, DNA examination of tiny samples of the women’s skin gave some insight into the damage done by the sun.
最后，研究人員對女性皮膚取樣進行了基因檢測，使我們大致了解日光對皮膚造成的傷害。

A gene called CDKN2A was more active in facial skin that is exposed to the elements than on samples taken from the buttocks.
研究人員發現，比起遠離陽光的臀部皮膚，名為CDKN2A的基因在接觸陽光的面部皮膚上更加活躍。

This gene was also more active in women who said they loved the sun – and in those who looked older.
該基因在酷愛陽光的女性身上也更活躍——而這些女性看起來也更衰老一些。

Dr Kimball said CDKN2A activity is a sign that a cell is ‘tired out’ and urged women should protect their skin year round and not just when on a beach holiday.
金博博士稱，CDKN2A基因的活躍意味著細胞其實困頓不堪，她因此呼吁女性一年四季都應該做好護膚措施，而不要等到沙灘度假才想起防曬。

Dr Frauke Neuser, principal scientist at Olay, which has used the research to develop its latest face creams, said: ‘This research gives us a detailed picture of the effect of sun exposure on skin ageing and illustrate the importance of protection on a daily basis.’
玉蘭油的領頭科學家弗洛克·諾伊澤博士曾利用這些研究發現開發最新面霜，他稱：“這項研究使我們對日光給皮膚衰老造成的影響有了詳細的了解，說明日常護膚相當重要。”

英文來源：每日郵報
譯者：趙瀟逸
審校&編輯：丹妮