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A lot of it is facial structure. If you've got small or delicate facial features, and are slender or skinny to boot, people will think you're younger than you are. Facial features naturally enlarge as you get older -- bigger nose, bigger chin, wider face -- so those of you who start with delicate features will in fact always look younger than your peers, all other things being equal (smoking and eating habits, etc., and of course baldness).
People who have naturally bold features -- big chins, big noses, big jaws -- always look older or more mature than their age (your choice of terms), especially in their teens.
Of course, that's not all of it, especially as you get older. I'm 48, male, and people think I'm -- well, not 35 or anything, but no more than 40. In part that's because I had those delicate features to start, have kept myself in moderately good shape, and have almost no gray in my hair (and still have most of my hair, too.) When a younger-looking guy starts to look older, usually gray hair, baldness, and weight are the culprit. When you see a picture of some politician in the news, most of them except the obvious fitness freaks look to be about 55 or 60, because they're all overweight with three chins, mostly balding, and have a lot of wear on them from the long hours. But a lot of these guys are in their early 40s. They just haven't taken care of themselves -- they're too busy taking meetings and drinking with lobbyists.
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