Forget glugging countless¹ glasses of water or getting your beauty sleep. The secret of looking young is simply to stay out of the sun.

别再热衷于疯狂饮水和睡美容觉了。青春常驻的秘诀其实只有一个：远离阳光。

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.

在对数百名女士进行调查后，一项研究发现：那些远离太阳辐射的女性看起来会比实际年龄年轻二十岁。

However, other supposed rules for a youthful complexion², from drinking lots of water to sleeping well and exercising regularly, failed to hold back the hands of time.

而人们公认的其他保持青春容颜的法则，比如多喝水，睡美容觉，定期锻炼，却并不能阻止无情的岁月在脸上留下痕迹。

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.

美国皮肤科学会的年会将公布这一发现：只有远离日光，或者在不得不接受日晒时涂防晒霜，才能和岁月抵抗几个回合。

The intriguing³ finding comes from a study of 231 women of all ages who were quizzed about their lives, including whether they were sun-worshippers.

这项有趣的发现来自对231名各个年龄层女性的研究。研究人员对她们的生活习惯进行问卷调查，包括她们是否喜欢晒太阳。

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.

随后，受护肤品公司玉兰油的委托，美国麻省总医院的研究人员对这些女性的年龄进行估算，发现采取防晒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.

其中四名女性几乎没有任何皱纹和老年斑，容光焕发，以至于她们看起来比实际年龄整整年轻了二十岁。

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.

研究人员亚历克斯·金博博士是一位皮肤科教授，她称，多喝水能保持健康的流行观点是无稽之谈，我们的身体能准确判断所需的饮水量。

Previous research by the British Nutrition Foundation reached a similar conclusion.

此前，英国营养协会的研究也得出了相似结论。

Experts there said: 'Just drinking water for the sake of drinking water really has no effect on improving the appearance of skin.'

该协会的专家称：“为了喝水而喝水，真的不会起到改善皮肤的作用。”

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.

至于睡眠质量好的女性为何没能拥有更年轻的皮肤，原因尚不清楚。但这可能是因为问卷调查覆盖的方面太窄，没有考虑到受试者的长期睡眠模式。

A second study, also by Olay, suggested that low-level day to day exposure to the sun is more ageing that occasional, intense blasts.

玉兰油公司发起的第二项研究显示，经常性地暴露在低强度日光下，比偶尔的暴晒更易使人衰老。

Finally, DNA⁴ examination of tiny samples of the women's skin gave some insight into the damage done by the sun.

最后，研究人员对女性皮肤取样进行了基因检测，使我们大致了解日光对皮肤造成的伤害。

A gene called CDKN2A was more active in facial skin that is exposed to the elements than on samples taken from the buttocks.

研究人员发现，比起远离阳光的臀部皮肤，名为CDKN2A的基因在接触阳光的面部皮肤上更加活跃。

This gene was also more active in women who said they loved the sun—and in those who looked older.

该基因在酷爱阳光的女性身上也更活跃——而这些女性看起来也更衰老一些。

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.

金博博士称，CDKN2A基因的活跃意味着细胞其实困顿不堪，她因此呼吁女性一年四季都应该做好护肤措施，而不要等到沙滩度假才想起防晒。

Dr Frauke Neuser, principal scientist at Olay, which has used the research to develop its latest face creams, said: 'This research gives us a detailed⁵ picture of the effect of sun exposure on skin ageing and illustrate⁶ the importance of protection on a daily basis.'

玉兰油的领头科学家弗洛克·诺伊泽博士曾利用这些研究发现开发最新面霜，他称：“这项研究使我们对日光给皮肤衰老造成的影响有了详细的了解，说明日常护肤相当重要。”