Written question asked by Ashok Kumar (Labour) on Thursday, 22 January 1998, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Friday, 30 January 1998. It was answered by Baroness Jowell (Labour) on Friday, 30 January 1998 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Dept of Health

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what research work he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated into the long-term and short-term effects on the skin of smoking.

Answer: Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research work he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated into the long-term and short-term effects on the skin of smoking. [25609] Ms Jowell: None. However, research has been conducted by the Twin Research Unit at St. Thomas Hospital, London which found dramatic differences in skin aging between smoking and non-smoking twins. A smoker's skin was found to be 40 per cent. thinner than that of her twin's--0.57 millimetres compared with 0.91 millimetres.

Secondary information