Ruth Walker: In your dreams

THE LINES on your face reveal more than your age – like which side you sleep on

Nancy Dell’Olio, Simon Cowell and Carol Vorderman are both right-siders. Gary Barlow and Beyoncé? Left-siders. Alex Jones is a flat-on-her-back kind of girl.

We're not casting aspersions. We're talking about how you sleep at night. Because it turns out that whichever side of your head hits the pillow of an evening, that's the side of your face that will age first and worst. As if we didn't have enough to worry about.

“You can often tell a patient’s sleeping side,” says Fiona McCormack, clinic manager at the Harley Medical Group’s Glasgow clinic, “as around 75 per cent of patients who come in for filler have to have slightly more on that side of their face than the other.

“Firstly, the side you sleep on regularly will have more fine lines and wrinkles around the eyes, while the naso labial fold – the nose to mouth line – on that side will be deeper. This is because the face is pressed against the pillow for an extended amount of time, causing it to crease.”

But it’s not just the creasing that causes problems either. The sleeping side of your face may also appear slightly saggier and drier, due to loss of elasticity. According to McCormack, “As you get older, the skin loses collagen, which reduces its ability to retain elasticity and moisture. And this process can be encouraged if the skin is not allowed to breathe properly – something that would happen if you sleep on one side of the face more than the other.”

Looking in detail at celebrity photographs, the team at Harley Medical Group found that, for instance, Cheryl Cole's naso labial fold is more defined on the left side, indicating she has lost more collagen in this area. Even a youngster like Kristen Stewart has a deeper fold on the left side, as do both Middleton sisters. “Victoria Beckham appears to sleep on both sides as neither shows more lines than the other,” says McCormack. “However, this could be a result of Botox and filler treatments. Nancy Dell’Olio sleeps on her right side – this side appears to have a greater loss of collagen, as it is not as plump or elastic as the other.”

Simon Cowell has more wrinkles around the right eye, indicating a preference for sleeping on that side, while Kate Winslet is fairly even, “but her naso labial fold is slightly deeper on the left side”.

Other ‘facial tells’ come from patients who suffer from acne. “Often they will have had more spots on the side of the face they sleep on. This is because, as you sleep, you are pressing on the sebaceous gland, which increases bacteria to that area. Those who have suffered from acne in the past will have more scarring from spots on one side of their face, and this would give away their sleeping side."

Even where you sit at work can have a detrimental effect on your face. “If you work in an environment in which one side of your face is more exposed to the sun than the other, this side will be likely to appear more aged.

“Interestingly, you can often tell an office worker who has sat at the same window in their office for many years, and those who spend a lot of time driving, as they would have seen more sun on one side of their face."

Short of getting some work done to even up the discrepancy, McCormack recommends a simple change that could make a world of difference: a silk pillowcase. “To avoid your sleeping side being noticeable through these ‘tells’, it would be best to sleep on your back with minimal pillows in silk covers. It really does work, because it’s much softer on your skin so it slides and it’s not actually pushing it so much, which is what causes the folds and wrinkles.”

And if you thought ‘pillow face’ was an adverse effect of too much filler – a puffy-cheeked look sported by Madonna and former Dynasty star Linda Evans – think again. “Patients who have too many pillows are likely to have a double chin and more creases on their necks,” warns McCormack, “as they sleep with their heads at an angle, which pushes their chin against their neck and encourages the skin to fold and sag.”

So now you know. Sweet dreams, everyone.

Harley Medical Group, Elderslie Street, 1 Somerset Place, Glasgow (0800 085 4984, www.harleymedical.co.uk)