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. 2023 Feb 22;188(3):390-395.
doi: 10.1093/bjd/ljac100.

Younger facial looks are associate with a lower likelihood of several age-related morbidities in the middle-aged to elderly

Selma Mekić  1 , Luba M Pardo  1 , David A Gunn  2 , Leonie C Jacobs  1 , Merel A Hamer  1 , M Arfan Ikram  3 , Eline J Vinke  3   4 , Meike W Vernooij  3   4 , Annet E G Haarman  3   5 , Eric F Thee  3   5 , Joelle E Vergroesen  3   5 , Caroline C W Klaver  3   5 , Pauline H Croll  3   4   6 , Andre Goedegebure  6 , Katerina Trajanoska  3   7 , Fernando Rivadeneira  7 , Joyce B J van Meurs  7 , Banafsheh Arshi  3 , Maryam Kavousi  3 , Emmely W de Roos  3 , Guy G O Brusselle  3   8   9 , Manfred Kayser  10 , Tamar Nijsten  1
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Younger facial looks are associate with a lower likelihood of several age-related morbidities in the middle-aged to elderly

Selma Mekić et al. Br J Dermatol. .

Abstract

Background: Looking older for one's chronological age is associated with a higher mortality rate. Yet it remains unclear how perceived facial age relates to morbidity and the degree to which facial ageing reflects systemic ageing of the human body.

Objectives: To investigate the association between ΔPA and age-related morbidities of different organ systems, where ΔPA represents the difference between perceived age (PA) and chronological age.

Methods: We performed a cross-sectional analysis on data from the Rotterdam Study, a population-based cohort study in the Netherlands. High-resolution facial photographs of 2679 men and women aged 51.5-87.8 years of European descent were used to assess PA. PA was estimated and scored in 5-year categories using these photographs by a panel of men and women who were blinded for chronological age and medical history. A linear mixed model was used to generate the mean PAs. The difference between the mean PA and chronological age was calculated (ΔPA), where a higher (positive) ΔPA means that the person looks younger for their age and a lower (negative) ΔPA that the person looks older. ΔPA was tested as a continuous variable for association with ageing-related morbidities including cardiovascular, pulmonary, ophthalmological, neurocognitive, renal, skeletal and auditory morbidities in separate regression analyses, adjusted for age and sex (model 1) and additionally for body mass index, smoking and sun exposure (model 2).

Results: We observed 5-year higher ΔPA (i.e. looking younger by 5 years for one's age) to be associated with less osteoporosis [odds ratio (OR) 0.76, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.62-0.93], less chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (OR 0.85, 95% CI 0.77-0.95), less age-related hearing loss (model 2; B = -0.76, 95% CI -1.35 to -0.17) and fewer cataracts (OR 0.84, 95% CI 0.73-0.97), but with better global cognitive functioning (g-factor; model 2; B = 0.07, 95% CI 0.04-0.10).

Conclusions: PA is associated with multiple morbidities and better cognitive function, suggesting that systemic ageing and cognitive ageing are, to an extent, externally visible in the human face.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of interest D.A.G. is a Unilever employee and as an author had an influence on the analyses and interpretation of the results. Although no products were tested, these results could be used more generally to promote antiageing products and services that lead to financial gain for Unilever.