ArticleAesthetic surgery journal. Open forum2021
The Contribution of the Lower Third of the Face to Perceived Age: Do Masks Make You Appear Younger?
Article in Aesthetic surgery journal. Open forum, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Impact of Mask-Wearing on Public Attitudes, Perceptions, and Interest in Rhinoplasty During the COVID-19 Pandemic.Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open · 2025Article
- Smiling makes you look older, even when you wear a mask: the effect of face masks on age perception.Cognitive research: principles and implications · 2022Article
- Surgical face masks do not impair the decoding of facial expressions of negative affect more severely in older than in younger adults.Cognitive research: principles and implications · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThere is evidence that changes to the midface and lower third of the face in isolation contribute significantly to one's perception of the overall facial age. Since the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), mask wearing has become commonplace. To date, there have been no studies that explore how covering the lower third of the face impacts the perception of age.
objectivesThe authors hypothesized that covering the lower third of the face with a mask will make a person appear younger.
methodsOne hundred consecutive plastic surgery patients were photographed in a standardized fashion, both masked and unmasked. A questionnaire for factors known to contribute to facial aging was administered. These photographs were randomized to 6 judges who estimated the patients' age and also quantified facial rhytids with the validated Lemperle wrinkle assessment score of 6. Data were analyzed using PROC MIXED analysis.
resultsMasked patients on average appeared 6.17% younger (mean difference = 3.16 years,
conclusionsThe mask group appeared younger and had lower overall and visible wrinkle assessment scores when compared with the unmasked group. This has implications for our understanding of the contributions of the lower third of the face to overall perceived facial age.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.