Evaluating “Cosmetic Therapy” by Using Near-Infrared Spectroscopy

This study examined the effect of cosmetic therapy on frontal lobe activation as revealed by topographic near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). We evaluated emotional responses to a photograph of a face with/without makeup by 22 healthy female volunteers (mean age, 52 ± 10.5 years). The results of the first-round analysis showed a significant increase of oxy-Hb in the frontal lobe area when the subject looked at a photograph of herself made up as compared to not made up. In a later round of analysis, we divided the subjects into 2 groups having contrasting scores on the Profile of Mood States-Short Form Japanese version. One group was classed as “high vigor” (a common standard pattern) and the other as “low vigor” (depression-tendency pattern). The made-up/not made-up difference did not have any effect on the oxy-Hb level in the frontal lobe in the high vigor group. In contrast, makeup produced a significant increase in the oxy-Hb level over a wide frontal area in the low vigor group, which indicated widespread frontal lobe activation. This result indicates a beneficial effect of cosmetic therapy on the brain function of patients with depression and/ or dementia.