Doctors could one day use temperatures in different face regions to assess ageing and diagnose metabolic diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes. Though not easily perceptible by touch, these temperature changes can be identified using a thermal camera and a new data model driven by artificial intelligence.
For the study published in Cell Metabolism, Chinese researchers analysed facial temperatures of 2,811 participants aged 21 to 88 years. They identified several spots where the facial temperatures were significantly related to age and health, including the nose, eyes and cheeks. They found that temperature of the nose decreases at a faster rate while temperatures around the eyes tend to increase, with age. So, people with warmer noses have a younger thermal age.
People with diabetes and fatty liver disease tended to have higher temperatures around the eyes. Meanwhile, people with high blood pressure had higher cheek temperatures. These temperature increases are caused by an increase in cellular activity related to inflammation.
To see if exercise could influence thermal ageing, they asked 23 people to jump rope at least 800 times a day for two weeks. Surprisingly, these participants reduced their thermal age by five years after just two weeks of exercise. Researchers are next trying to see if thermal facial imaging can predict other diseases such as sleeping disorders and heart problems.
“We hope to apply thermal facial imaging in clinical settings, as it holds significant potential for early disease diagnosis and intervention,” the study said.
