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facial anatomy: philtrum
Friday, September 30th, 2022 01:44 amI wondered if there was a word for "the vertical indentation of skin under the center of the nose". Yes, Philtrum.
About 2 years ago when looking in the mirror, I started noticing that my philtrum looked narrower and/or deeper than it used to. It was more shadowed inside. The change was slightly disconcerting.
It may be related to aging. This page mentions philtrums getting longer as you age:
How your philtrum gives your age away
While searching for the word, I came across this interesting discussion:
https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/166884/what-is-the-name-of-the-area-of-skin-between-the-nose-and-the-upper-lip-mouth
It says that from an anatomical or medical sense, what I'd call the lips (or the upper and lower lip) is called vermilion, and the skin above and below those lips is called your upper and lower lip. So the terms "lip", "upper lip", and "lower lip" are ambiguous.
Per its etymology, philtrum originally meant "love charm".
About 2 years ago when looking in the mirror, I started noticing that my philtrum looked narrower and/or deeper than it used to. It was more shadowed inside. The change was slightly disconcerting.
It may be related to aging. This page mentions philtrums getting longer as you age:
How your philtrum gives your age away
While searching for the word, I came across this interesting discussion:
https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/166884/what-is-the-name-of-the-area-of-skin-between-the-nose-and-the-upper-lip-mouth
It says that from an anatomical or medical sense, what I'd call the lips (or the upper and lower lip) is called vermilion, and the skin above and below those lips is called your upper and lower lip. So the terms "lip", "upper lip", and "lower lip" are ambiguous.
Per its etymology, philtrum originally meant "love charm".