We don’t have complete knowledge of Ghoul anatomy and how they age over time, but considering most Ghouls are over 200 years old it’s safe to say that they don’t actually decay over time and how they look now is more than likely how they’ll look hundreds of years in the future (or how ever much longer they’ll live), it is quite clear when comparing Hancock who has only been a Ghoul about 5/6 years or even Moira from Fallout 3 if you blow up Megaton to pre-war Ghouls like Daisy that the skin peeling side effect of exposure to radiation doesn’t continue, if it did then older Ghouls would look more like a walking skeletons, so obviously the peeling doesn’t continue for the rest of their lives, stop thinking of them as actual rotting undead because they aren’t, they resemble the undead purely in looks and that is it.
In the end, write and draw Ghouls how ever you like and don’t let one persons interpretation of Ghouls change how you interpret them ♥
Actually canonically (according to in game lore and the fallout bibles) their skin regenerates sort of like a normal human’s, but is insufficiently oxygenated to avoid necrosis.
May I refer you to the biology section on the ghoul’s page of the fallout wiki
“Specifically, the neurotransmitters affected in a ghoul’s mutation are those responsible for cardiac and respiratory function in a healthy human being. These transmitters are continually regenerated at a greatly accelerated rate after the mutation sets in, carrying sufficient oxygen to sustain the life of the subject while being insufficient to retain dermal elasticity and avoid the resulting necrosis “
and
“
In physical appearance, a ghoul’s flesh is constantly rotting off, appearing very raw and discolored from necrosis “
Also they’re definitely sterile.
Sources:
http://fallout.gamepedia.com/Underworld_terminal_entries#Examination_of_the_Post-Necrotic_Human
In summary: I theorize that our unnaturally long lifespan is due to a mutation within the autonomic nervous system of certain individuals following exposure to specific combinations of ionizing radiation with wavelengths below 10 picometers. This mutation, it seems, disrupts the normal process of decay in the neurotransmitters along the spinal cord.
Specifically, the transmitters effected are those responsible for cardiac and respiratory function in a healthy human. According to my studies, these transmitters are continually regenerated after mutation, carrying sufficient oxygen to sustain the life of the subject while being insufficient to retain skin elasticity and avoid necrosis, the result of which is the corpse-like appearance of post-mutation humans. It should be noted that exposure to radiation typically result in sicknessfollowed by death and the x-factor that will lead to mutation upon exposure in lieu of the typical outcome remains unknown to this researcher.
The Lone Wanderer: “Have you ever heard of a guy named Gob?”
Carol: “Gob? Yes, of course!He’s my son… well, not really, not like you would think of a son. We Ghouls don’t really work like that, but I love him like he’s my own! Do you know him? Have you seen him? Is he alright?”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Necrosis
The Courier: “Turns out there are customers looking for someone just like you.”
Beatrix Russel: “Weirdos into bullwhips and necrosis, eh?”
Thoughts From The Peacock Angel 