Models link age to slower facial shape changes after 25
Models of 3D photographs from 4,038 people of European ancestry linked age to progressively slower facial shape changes after 25.
Limit: Models estimated age differences rather than tracking facial changes within the same individuals over time
Edited by Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
In an observational study, researchers analyzed 3D facial photographs of 4,038 healthy people of European ancestry, aged 5 to 85: 1,455 males and 2,583 females. They used statistical models to estimate typical facial shapes for each sex from ages 10 to 60, at five-year intervals.
Age was linked to progressively slower facial shape changes after 25 in both sexes. Other age-related features included a less full forehead, sunken temples, bags under the eyes, deeper folds between the nose and mouth, hollow cheeks, and thinner, longer lips that sat farther back. The overall pattern was similar in males and females, but the size and pace of changes differed.
Why it matters
Mapping age-related changes in facial structure may inform dentistry, facial surgery and forensic medicine, the authors concluded.
Caveats
The results were modeled associations between age and facial shape, not evidence of what caused the changes. The findings concern healthy people of European ancestry and may not apply to other populations.
The paper
Quantification and visualization of 3D facial aging in individuals of European ancestry
The University of Melbourne; Universitair Ziekenhuis Leuven
GeroScience, May 12, 2026, Open access
