Why do faces get wider as they age?

462 views

Looking at my wedding photos from 8 years ago and then happening across a celebrities then and now collage, I noticed that many faces “widened” as they aged.

I understand collagen loses its elasticity as time goes onbut wouldn’t that cause droop instead of expansion?

In: Biology

3 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

Most people accumulate fat not only overall but also in their faces as they age. So even if someone is the same weight as they were from 10 years before, they will often tend to have more fat accumulated in their cheeks and jowls, which adds to the visual perception of a wider face.

Anonymous 0 Comments

Bones are always growing and changing as we age. It is most rapid during early development but never stops. Cheekbones usually lose mass in older years. The jaw can actually become wider and shift position as you get older.

Anonymous 0 Comments

One other thing I haven’t seen mentioned is that the nose and ears continue to grow throughout everyone’s life. It’s one of those things you don’t notice until someone points it out, then you see it everywhere. Having larger/longer ears can absolutely give the appearance of a larger head/face.