Skin Pigmentation and the Menstrual Cycle

McGuinness, B. W.

doi:10.1136/bmj.2.5251.563

Cited by 16 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 3 publications

(2 reference statements)

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“…We also did not find an effect of cycle on facial skin luminance, suggesting that self-reported changes in human skin lightness are inaccurate or based on regions of the face (e.g. around the eyes) that we did not analyze here [ 51 , 52 ]. The relationship between cycle and skin luminance seen in the rhesus macaque [ 4 ] does not appear to be a feature of our own lineage.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Although researchers have hypothesized a link between fecundability (the likelihood of conception during a specific time period) and skin pigmentation [ 50 ], the evidence for skin color change across the human ovulatory cycle is equivocal. Early studies indicated that women perceive darkening of their facial skin immediately prior to menstrual onset [ 51 , 52 ]. However, these results may be invalid because assessments were subjective and participants were aware of the studies’ aims.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Changes in Women’s Facial Skin Color over the Ovulatory Cycle are Not Detectable by the Human Visual System

et al. 2015

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Human ovulation is not advertised, as it is in several primate species, by conspicuous sexual swellings. However, there is increasing evidence that the attractiveness of women’s body odor, voice, and facial appearance peak during the fertile phase of their ovulatory cycle. Cycle effects on facial attractiveness may be underpinned by changes in facial skin color, but it is not clear if skin color varies cyclically in humans or if any changes are detectable. To test these questions we photographed women daily for at least one cycle. Changes in facial skin redness and luminance were then quantified by mapping the digital images to human long, medium, and shortwave visual receptors. We find cyclic variation in skin redness, but not luminance. Redness decreases rapidly after menstrual onset, increases in the days before ovulation, and remains high through the luteal phase. However, we also show that this variation is unlikely to be detectable by the human visual system. We conclude that changes in skin color are not responsible for the effects of the ovulatory cycle on women’s attractiveness.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changes in Women’s Facial Skin Color over the Ovulatory Cycle are Not Detectable by the Human Visual System

et al. 2015

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“…In addition, there is evidence that the same skin color appearance modulations occur in human females (Burriss et al, 2015; Edwards & Duntley, 1949; B. C. Jones et al, 2015; McGuiness, 1961; Oberzaucher et al, 2012; Snell & Turner, 1966; van den Berghe & Frost, 1986) and possibly males (due to elevated testosterone; Miller & Maner, 2010). Furthermore, skin color appearance undergoes change as a consequence of physiological states related to health, including skin vascularization (Changizi & Shimojo, 2011; Charkoudian, 2003; Henderson et al, 2017; Panza, Quyyumi, Brush, & Epstein, 1990; Ponsonby, Dwyer, & Couper, 1997; Sibenge & Gawkrodger, 1992; Wilkin, 1994), bilirubin (Knudsen & Brodersen, 1989), melanin (Stamatas, Zmudzka, Kollias, & Beer, 2004; Zonios, Bykowski, & Kollias, 2001) and carotenoids (Alaluf, Heinrich, Stahl, Tronnier, & Wiseman, 2002; Coetzee & Perrett, 2014; Tan, Graf, Mitra, & Stephen, 2015, 2017; Whitehead, Re, Xiao, Ozakinci, & Perrett, 2012).…”

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confidence: 99%

Social Perception of Facial Color Appearance for Human Trichromatic Versus Dichromatic Color Vision

Thorstenson

Pazda

Elliot

2019

Pers Soc Psychol Bull

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Typical human color vision is trichromatic, on the basis that we have three distinct classes of photoreceptors. A recent evolutionary account posits that trichromacy facilitates detecting subtle skin color changes to better distinguish important social states related to proceptivity, health, and emotion in others. Across two experiments, we manipulated the facial color appearance of images consistent with a skin blood perfusion response and asked participants to evaluate the perceived attractiveness, health, and anger of the face (trichromatic condition). We additionally simulated what these faces would look like for three dichromatic conditions (protanopia, deuteranopia, tritanopia). The results demonstrated that flushed (relative to baseline) faces were perceived as more attractive, healthy, and angry in the trichromatic and tritanopia conditions, but not in the protanopia and deuteranopia conditions. The results provide empirical support for the social perception account of trichromatic color vision evolution and lead to systematic predictions of social perception based on ecological social perception theory.

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“…However, much of this early evidence came from women's self-reports of facial skin change, and participants were often aware of the studies' aims and hypotheses. Furthermore, these studies often lacked objective quantitative colour metrics [86].…”

Section: (C) Colour and The Ovulatory Cyclementioning

confidence: 99%

Human colour in mate choice and competition

Rowland

Burriss

2017

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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The colour of our skin and clothing affects how others perceive us and how we behave. Human skin colour varies conspicuously with genetic ancestry, but even subtle changes in skin colour due to diet, blood oxygenation and hormone levels influence social perceptions. In this review, we describe the theoretical and empirical frameworks in which human colour is researched. We explore how subtle skin colour differences relate to judgements of health and attractiveness. Also, because humans are one of the few organisms able to manipulate their apparent colour, we review how cosmetics and clothing are implicated in courtship and competition, both inside the laboratory and in the real world. Research on human colour is in its infancy compared with human psychophysics and colour research in non-human animals, and hence we present best-practice guidelines for methods and reporting, which we hope will improve the validity and reproducibility of studies on human coloration.This article is part of the themed issue 'Animal coloration: production, perception, function and application'.

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Skin Pigmentation and the Menstrual Cycle

Cited by 16 publications

References 3 publications

Changes in Women’s Facial Skin Color over the Ovulatory Cycle are Not Detectable by the Human Visual System

Changes in Women’s Facial Skin Color over the Ovulatory Cycle are Not Detectable by the Human Visual System

Social Perception of Facial Color Appearance for Human Trichromatic Versus Dichromatic Color Vision

Human colour in mate choice and competition

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