Aging of body and mind reflected in the face

Researchers calculated the difference between the estimated age and the actual age

There is a link between how old someone looks and age-related health problems, including cognitive decline. This is the conclusion of new research in which scientists from Erasmus MC participated. “It seems that aging of the body and mind is reflected in the face.”

2679 men and women from the ERGO study participated in the study, a large cohort study in which the health of thousands of residents of the Ommoord district of Rotterdam is monitored. Their median age was 65.8 years. The study is published in British Journal of Dermatology.

Face photos were taken of each person, from the front and from the side, without make-up, creams and jewellery. An independent panel estimated the age of each of the participants from these photos, with no other information. Each photo was rated by an average of 27 panelists.

Age score
The researchers calculated the difference between the estimated age and the actual age. They put a score on that. The higher the perceived score, the younger the person looks for their age. The researchers – Unilever Research and Development was involved in addition to Erasmus MC – then linked the age score to the participants’ lifestyle and health data to see if there were any links with ageing-related diseases.

Lifestyle factors adjusted for in the analyzes included BMI, exposure to ultraviolet light (UV), smoking behavior and ‘pack years’ – how many people have smoked over time. The health data includes kidney disease, cardiovascular and lung disease. They also looked at musculoskeletal disorders, eye disorders, age-related hearing loss and the degree of cognitive impairment, adjusted for educational level.

Facial fat
The youngest-looking group was estimated to be an average of five years younger than their actual age and was predominantly male (61%). This group smoked less often and had the highest BMI. The effect of facial fat, which tends to fill wrinkles, probably counted here.

The scientists found an association between a young estimated appearance and higher cognitive function plus a lower risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), even after adjusting for smoking status and pack years. There was also an association between a young appearance and a lesser degree of osteoporosis, cataracts and age-related hearing loss. No association was found between a young estimated appearance and osteoarthritis, age-related macular degeneration (AMD) or glaucomatous visual field loss (GVFL).

Reflection
Dermatologist Prof. Tamar Nijsten of Erasmus MC, author of the study: ‘A younger estimated appearance seems to reflect the health of your organ systems, body and mind.’

He considers it plausible that the factors responsible for facial aging also affect tissues in other parts of the body. ‘We did not investigate the causes in this exploratory study, but it seems that processes that are partly responsible for skin aging, such as a decrease in collagen and elastin production in the skin, take place in a similar way in other parts of the body. Or that there are other lifestyle factors that affect both the skin and other organs.’

Nijsten continues: ‘This is probably the best study to date that shows that how old you look on your face also reflects aging inside your body. The study clearly shows that something is going on, probably on a biological level and apart from the usual lifestyle factors such as exposure to UV radiation or smoking.’

Snapshot
Nijsten does warn of limitations of the study. ‘The study is a snapshot in time and must be followed up. Moreover, the participant cohort in the ERGO study mainly consists of people with a North-Western European background. Future research could investigate whether the findings of this study also apply to other population groups.’