another thing to add, do you think that the stress you mentioned could lead to premature aging?
Yes, stress definitely contributes to aging. When you are stressed it puts more strain on on the adrenals, giving them a greater requirement for vitamin C. Since the adrenals get priority over the rest of the body for vitamin C less vitamin C is made available for other tissues. The skin is very low on the priority list so it will suffer greatly from the lack of vitamin C leading to a loss of collagen and elastin. Therefore the skin will look more aged. Same principle that applies to smokers and methamphetamine users who really strain their adrenals with these strong stimulants. Look at how much faster they age.