Mona Lisa: Classic Signs of Hypothyroidism in the World’s Most Famous Painting

Look closely. A delicate dark veil covers Mona Lisa’s hair. You can see the border of the veil high on her forehead. Do you see the hairline that goes farther back? The eyes without a trace of eyebrows look eerily familiar. When the thyroid gland becomes underactive or even overactive, a variety of skin problems may result. According to researchers, the most common cutaneous signs observed in hypothyroid patients are dry skin, diffuse hair loss, altered skin texture, coarse scalp hair, and puffy face. On the other hand, could it be that Lisa Gherardini purposely plucked her eyebrows and shaved back her hairline as was the hairless fashion rage in the Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603) era? Or, as Parisian engineer Pascal Cotte suggested based on ultra detailed digital scans in 2007, perhaps da Vinci had painted on eyebrows and eyelashes but they simply faded over time or destroyed from years of restoration work. As for her puffy face, let’s not forget that this was created at a time in history when fat was celebrated and big was beautiful.

According to the Louvre Museum, “The portrait may have been painted to mark one of two events – either when Francesco del Giocondo and his wife bought their own house in 1503, or when their second son, Andrea, was born in December 1502.” I wonder if Lisa Gherardini had postpartum thyroiditis. If you’ve ever experienced postpartum thyroiditis following the birth of a child, you know the struggle.

Yellowing bump inner corner of left eye
Yellow-tinged skin and whites of eyes

When the body is deficient in thyroid hormone, the liver poorly converts beta-carotene (that’s what gives carrots their orange color) into vitamin A and the body deposits the excess beta-carotene in the outer layer of the skin, and so the yellowish hue of severe hypothyroidism. Xanthelasma is the medical term given to yellowish deposits of cholesterol found under the skin, most commonly on or around the eyelids. It could also be that the yellowishness of her skin is the result of the fading of paint or accumulation of varnish after centuries of aging. Or perhaps Lisa Gherardini, like Queen Elizabeth I, painted on a white mask (pale skin was the ideal of beauty at that time, after all) on her face, neck, chest, and hands with the popular mixture of white lead and vinegar (imagine a layer of toxic lead over her skin).

Bulge on right hand

Back in 2004, Mona Lisa was the focus of a study in which researchers reported that her skin findings could be indicative of essential hyperlipidemia, a big word for the common problem of high cholesterol. They indicated that the swelling of the dorsal (back) of the right hand was suggestive of a subcutaneous lipoma. A lipoma is a knot of fatty tissue, a rubbery bulge that can move when pressed, which can occur almost anywhere on the body but most often found on the trunk, shoulders, neck, and armpits. One of the fisk factors for developing a lipoma is high cholesterol.

The relationship between hypothyroidism and high cholesterol has been well documented for years. At an American Thyroid Association Symposium, professor of clinical endocrinology at Cardiff University School of Medicine in Wales Dr. John H. Lazarus said: “There is a huge emphasis on lipid screening, and one cannot assume that all of this is just due to a rise in lipids for no obvious reason—you might be uncovering a thyroid problem. It is very important to appreciate that.”

Flickering smile

Last, but most definitely not least, her enigmatic smile that has mystified people for centuries. First she is smiling, then she isn’t, and then she is again. Is she smiling or not? Interestingly Dr. Mehra and his co-author Hilary Campbell wrote, “If Lisa Gherardini was indeed suffering from severe hypothyroidism or its consequences, the mysterious smile may at one level be representative of some psychomotor retardation and muscle weakness leading to a less than fully blossomed smile.” Or I wonder could it be that Leonardo da Vinci picked up on his subject’s depressive symptoms and brilliantly captured it in his painting with a smile that changes in nature? In a study titled A Study of Correlation between Depression and Hypothyroidism in Female Patients, researchers wrote: “It has long been recognized that frank hypothyroidism can cause depressive symptoms and it almost always does so in severe cases.” Or maybe it was a fake smile because she was so sick from hypothyroidism and no one was listening. Sadly, not much has changed for thyroid patients 500 years later.

Now take a look in the mirror. 

Look at yourself closely, even more closely.

Do you see any of these signs? 

Hypothyroidism may be plain as day staring back at you.

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