How We Look At Mature Faces—An Eye-Tracking Investigation Into the Perception of Age

Abstract

Background It is still unclear which facial region contributes most to the perception of an aged face when evaluated by eye tracking analyses. Objective To apply eye tracking technology to identify whether mature faces require longer fixation durations than young faces and which facial region contributes most to the perception of a mature face. Methods Eye tracking analyses were conducted in 74 volunteers (37 males, 37 females; 43 ≤ 40 years, 31 > 40 years) evaluating their gaze pattern and the fixation durations for the entire face and nine facial subregions. Frontal facial images of 16 young (< 40 years) and old (> 40 years) gender-matched individuals were presented in a standardized setting. Results Independent of age or gender of the observer, a young stimulus image was viewed shorter than an old stimulus image with 0.82 (0.63) sec vs. 1.06 (0.73) sec with p < 0.001. There was no statistically significant difference in their duration of a stable eye fixation when observers inspected a male vs. a female stimulus image with 0.94 (0.70) sec vs. 0.94 (0.68) sec and p = 0.657 independent of the observers age or gender. The facial image which captured the most attention of the observer (rank 9) was the perioral region with 1.61 (0.73) sec for young observers and 1.57 (0.73) sec for old observers. Conclusions It was revealed that the perioral region attracts the most attention of observers and contributes most to an aged facial appearance. Practitioners should be mindful of the importance of the perioral region when designing an aesthetic treatment plan.

A Narrative Review of Eye-Tracking Assessment of Esthetic Endpoints in Plastic, Reconstructive, and Craniofacial Surgery

“…27,28 Two studies were designed to test visual gaze of observers looking at facial images. 29,30 Eye-tracking application to breast surgery was reported in only 4 publications. [31][32][33][34] It was reported in 1 study concerning gaze pattern of observers with or without a history of plastic surgery looking at abdominoplasty images 35 and in 2 reports about assessment of the most esthetically pleasing umbilicus position with ET.…”

“…Eleven studies involved facial esthetic surgery, including prominent ears, 20 rhytidectomy, 21,22 rhinoplasty, 23,24 periorbital rejuvenation, 25,26 and minimally invasive procedures 27,28 . Two studies were designed to test visual gaze of observers looking at facial images 29,30 …”

“…49 There is also general agreement that the eyes and the central triangle of the face are significantly the focus of most fixation, with the periorbital region attracting 50% of early visual attention, whether esthetic and harmonious or not. 43,48 However, it is also generally reported that in the perception of a mature face, the perioral region attracts the most attention 29 and that laypersons tend to fixate most frequently on the nose. 22 Interpretation of observers' visual gaze when looking at images of patients' prefacial and postfacial rejuvenation is also not easy nor straightforward.…”

“…Images rated as less attractive garner greater visual attention 42–44 . Similarly, old stimulus images are viewed longer than a young stimulus, 29 and esthetically pleasing features are observed later during the first image exposure and are viewed shorter 1,25 . An increase in fixation time of a specific feature is most likely indicative that the feature is perceived by the observer as being less pleasing and attractive.…”

Efficacy and Safety of LetibotulinumtoxinA in the Treatment of Moderate and Severe Glabellar Lines in Females 35 to 50 Years of Age: Post Hoc Analyses of the Phase 3 Clinical Study Data

“… 2 , 3 Moreover, the presence of glabellar lines, forehead lines, and crow's feet lines is among the most concerning age-related changes of facial appearance and is all aesthetic conditions that are treated in most of the cases with BoNT-A were reported in a recent investigation. 4 Along with the constantly rising demand for neuromodulator treatments, 5-9 the number of available neuromodulators likewise has increased. A novel BoNT-A is letibotulinumtoxinA (Hugel, Inc., Chuncheon, Republic of Korea and CROMA Pharma, Leobendorf, Austria), a 900 kDa BoNT-A complex derived from the Clostridium botulinum strain CBFC26.…”