ADVERTISEMENT "Oestrogen levels peak in your mid- to late 20s and slowly decline to 50 per cent by age 50, then bottom out post-menopause." Dr Squire said this acceleration of ageing is due to environmental and cultural stressors, particularly in Australia. "When you combine this with our culture of sun exposure from a young age, Australian women are sitting ducks for more significantly aged skin than their counterparts in other countries," she said. "A 2018 study showed Australian women reported deeper facial lines and enhanced volume loss in tear troughs and nasolabial folds than women from Canada, the UK and USA. Australian women also reported moderate-to-severe signs of ageing 10-20 years earlier than their US counterparts."