Abstract
The purpose of this study was to elucidate the physical effects produced by facial care (FC ； using cosmetics and emulsifiers) performed continuously by elder women, based on the tissue oxygen level in the prefrontal cortex and autonomic nerve response.
Eighteen healthy elder women aged 65 years or older (mean age 68±4 years) performed FC continuously for 3 weeks. On the first and final days, brain tissue oxygen level in the prefrontal cortex was measured with near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and autonomic nerve activity was measured using cutaneous blood flow, heart rate variability, and skin conductance. On the first day, the change in deoxyHb in the prefrontal cortex rose during FC compared with a resting state, but there was no change in blood flow. However, on the final day blood flow decreased after the start of FC compared with the resting state. On both the first and final days, heart rate variability was seen to increase during FC compared with a resting state, indicating enhanced parasympathetic nerve activity. These results suggest that FC performed by healthy elder women themselves suppresses prefrontal cortex activity and enhances parasympathetic nerve activity.
