Your face gets more asymmetrical as you age, researchers say

Your face gets WONKIER as you age! Researchers find the structure of your facial features ‘become more asymmetrical with each decade of life’

  • Researchers at Mount Auburn Hospital, Massachusetts, made the discovery 
  • Person’s most significant difference was located in lower two-thirds of the face
  • Finding has implications for facial rejuvenation and reconstructive surgeries 

Your face gets wonkier as you age, research suggests.

Scientists have found the structure of your facial features deviate by 0.06mm with each decade of life.

Researchers at Mount Auburn Hospital, Massachusetts, used three-dimensional digital imaging techniques to make the conclusion.

The changes were subtle but significant, especially in the lower two-thirds of the face – from the eyebrows to nose and from the nose to chin.

Age changes: A subtle but significant difference appears in the lower two-thirds of the face – from the eyebrows to nose and from the nose to chin – as we get older


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Dr Helena Taylor performed detailed scans of 191 volunteers who ranged in age from four months to 88 years.

This digital imaging approach enabled the investigators to distinguish very subtle levels of asymmetry – within a fraction of a millimeter. 

They then calculated the ‘root mean square deviation’ (RMSD) to quantify the degree of asymmetry between the two sides of each face.

DO VAMPIRE FACIALS WORK? 

It’s the bizarre procedure that has become a staple in the beauty regime of A-list celebrities desperately trying to hold back the hands of time.

However, much confusion has surrounded the so-called ‘vampire facial’ since it rose to popularity over whether it does, or doesn’t, work.

Celebrities argue the painful procedure, which made headlines when reality TV star Kim Kardashian was pictured trying it in 2013, is better than a face-lift.

And scientists in April confirmed platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy, as it is really known, really can help keep wrinkles at bay.

A review, which analysed results from 22 old PRP studies, has revealed that the expensive procedure does rejuvenate the face.

The procedure extracts blood, separates the plasma, smears it back onto – and injects back into – the face for that youthful, glowing look.

Published in the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery journal, the findings could have significant impact on aesthetic procedures.

‘We found a highly significant positive correlation between increasing age and facial asymmetry,’ the team of researchers wrote. 

‘This finding suggests that the middle and lower features contribute more to overall asymmetry over time.

‘Ultimately, we hope to contribute to a better understanding of how asymmetry evolves with time and use this data to improve outcomes in both reconstructive and aesthetic surgery.’   

Across age groups, RMSD calculations of facial symmetry clustered between 0.4 and 1.3 mm. 

The measurements showed a small but predictable increase in RMSD: by 0.06 mm for each decade of life. 

Facial asymmetry did not vary significantly based on race or gender.

While some degree of asymmetry is considered attractive and inherent in the human face, achieving facial symmetry is a fundamental goal of plastic surgery.

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