Voltaire Face

VOLTAIRE FACE, a term proposed by Marfan to denote the facial expression in newborn infants in a state of severe atrophy. In such children the face appears disproportionately small in comparison with the skull; it is pointed downwards and is almost devoid of fat and muscle; as a result the bones of the facial skeleton are clearly outlined under the skin covering them, which is thinned, covered with wrinkles on the forehead and folds on the cheeks; the cheeks are sunken, the nasolabial folds are sharply defined, the mouth seems excessively wide; at the same time the child's eyes retain a lively, conscious or serious expression and appear very large. Such a face gives the impression of old age and in a calm state very closely resembles Voltaire's face (see separate table, Fig. 7).