Cosmetic Surgery and Beauty Magazine #67

feature
Men and women age differently – and the process tends to treat men more
favourably. So, apart from the obvious, how do the sexes differ?
Bone size
Male bones are generally longer and larger than female bones and have more
obvious muscle markings. Men also have bigger skulls, with more prominent brow
ridges, bigger jaws, chins, cheekbones and noses, giving men’s faces a squarish
shape and stronger features than women’s.
These differences in bone structure are hormonally triggered at puberty. Increased
levels of testosterone trigger the growth of certain bony facial features so boys’
faces grow more than girls’. Female faces remain relatively childlike. High levels of
oestrogen in growing girls prevents the growth of facial bone and results in increased
thickness of lips and fat deposition in the cheek area, whereas a male face is often
‘chiselled’ in appearance.
Faces with masculine features – such as a large jaw and prominent cheekbones
– appear dominant, and dominance is associated with male reproductive success in
many species, including humans.
Using CT scans of 100 men and women, researchers at Duke University
Medical Center in the US discovered that the bones in the human skull change as
people age. The forehead moves forward while the cheekbones move back. As
the bones move, the overlying muscle and skin moves as well, subtly changing
the shape of the face. ‘The facial bones also appear to tilt forward as we get older,
which causes them to lose support for the overlying soft tissues,’ says Dr Michael
Richard, an oculoplastic surgeon at the Duke Eye Center. ‘This results in more
sagging and drooping.’
The dramatic ageing of facial bones also happens at a significantly younger
age for women than men, according to Dr David Kahn, assistant professor of plastic
and reconstructive surgery at Stanford University School of Medicine in the US.
Women’s facial bones begin to shrink at the onset of early middle age, while men
don’t exhibit this until they are at retirement age.
Musculature
Males tend to be more muscular than females from birth, with girls showing a higher
fat ratio even before puberty. At puberty, males begin to develop heavier bones and
thicker muscles. The average adult male has about 150 percent of the lean body
mass of an average female, and about 50 percent of the body fat.
Because men have bigger muscles than women, this also affects the facial
contours, especially in relation to the jaw and neck. It is the difference in their muscle
development that makes males’ Adam’s apples protrude. Men characteristically
have thicker necks than women, and often the masseter muscles at the hinges of
the jaw are also more prominent. Cheek and forehead muscles can also be more
pronounced. Their muscle size affects the appearance of men’s faces, providing a
more sculpted look than is usually seen in women.
Even the nerve impulses that control muscle movements differ between the
sexes: men and women have different left- and right-brain connections that affect the
face. In right-handed individuals, men have stronger left brain to left side uncrossed
cortico-muscular projections and women stronger right to right.
While men have larger muscles, women are more facially expressive, suggesting
that they may use their facial muscles more. This gender difference is present from
birth; girl babies smile more than boys do.
www.cosbeauty.com.au 39