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One area of your face is ‘highly sensitive’ because it’s so hairy, study says
Touch, like vision and sound, is one of the most important senses and a new study shows that humans don’t lose touch sensitivity with age, except for specific body parts.
Body hair, especially in women, is still a taboo. However, the latest research highlights the role of hair on our body as it serves as an “antenna to�transmit mechanical stimuli.”
Study shows touch sensitivity reduces with age
The recent study published on Frontiers, analyzing the textile sensitivity of different body parts over the lifespan found that human skin does experience a reduced sensitivity in specific regions.
The researchers gathered 97 left-handed female volunteers between the ages of 20 and 75 to test the sensitivity of their skin in three regions: the tip of the index finger, forearm, and cheek.
The experiment required the participants to feel a series of 11 plates with differently spaced grooves using the tip of their index finger. Each subject was reportedly tested 132 times and received a score for correct responses.
After discussing the results of the test, the team established that “force detection and tactile spatial discrimination on the index deteriorated significantly with age.”
The researchers did note that the fingertip could suffer from insensitivity depending on its exposure. Such as, “professional practices requiring fine manual skills may help prevent tactile decline” and “activities such as hand-washing and the use of cleaning products may further impact hand tactile sensitivity.”
Hair retains the sensitivity, suspect researchers
While the sensitivity of the index finger appears to decline, the cheeks and forearm touch sensitivity was constant in participants throughout life.
“The present results lead us to suggest that tactile sensitivity might remain relatively constant throughout adulthood on the cheek and forearm, for various possible reasons,” the study states.
The researchers found that tactile sensitivity was prevalent in hairy skin, with the cheek being the most sensitive to touch at any age.
Highlighting hair’s role, the study noted: “Hairs have a protective function for the skin, to decrease heat loss, but also act as an antenna to transmit mechanical stimuli, including at very low forces, such as an airflow.”
