The Ideal Face and Profile: Here’s What Mathematics Says About Beauty
Beauty standards have evolved not just through the years, but also in different cultures. What one culture perceives as the standard of beauty may differ in another.
Still, researchers were able to devise mathematical ways to measure beauty, serving as the foundation for every facial plastic surgeon’s aesthetic techniques when it comes to performing facial cosmetic surgeries on their patients.
The Top 3 Theories on Beauty
Golden Ratio
Spanning all the way back to ancient Greece, the Golden Ratio considers the proportion of 1:1.618 as appealing — whether it’s in art or the human body. The closer your face comes to this ratio, the more beautiful you are.
How is this applied in cosmetic surgery? Here are some examples:
- The distance from the top of your nose to the center of your lips should be 1.618 times the distance from the center of your lips to your chin.
- The distance from your hairline to your upper eyelid should be 1.618 times the length of the top of your upper eyebrow to your lower eyelid.
- Your lower lip should have slightly more volume than your upper lip, so the ideal ratio of your upper lip to your lower lip should be 1:1.6.
Horizontal Thirds
According to this theory, the face is divided into:
- The upper third, which runs from your hairline to your brows.
- The middle third, which extends from the brow to your nose tip.
- The lower third, which runs from the nose tip to the narrowest part of your chin.
In a perfect face, these three are supposed to be equal.
Vertical Fifths
With the vertical fifths, the front facial profile is divided into:
- The first and last fifths that cover the ear up to the outer corner of the eye.
- The second and fourth fifths that represent the distance between the inner and outer corners of the eye.
- The middle fifth is the distance between the inner corners of your two eyes.
The more uniform their lengths are, the closer you are to having the perfect face.
The Ideal Facial Features
The ideal forehead
A hairline that’s too high skews the proportion of your face.
For women, the ideal hairline is 6 to 6.5 centimeters above the eyebrows. And for men, it’s 7 to 7.5 centimeters.
If you’re interested in how your forehead can improve your profile, read about forehead reduction or forehead lift here.
The ideal eyebrows
Ideally, the eyebrows should be ½-inch above the supraorbital rim — the bony ridge where your eye socket starts. From the central part of your face, the arch of your brows must be two-thirds away.
If you want more uplifted and youthful-looking brows, check out the brow lift surgery.
The ideal eyes
Your eyes are considered beautiful when they have these youthful characteristics:
- Wrinkle-free
- No bulging fat in the lower eyelid bags
- Eyelids aren’t stretched or drooping due to muscle weakness
- No extra skin folds on your upper lids
Whether you have an eyelid crease or not, what matters is how your eyes complement the rest of your facial features.
Check out how you can make your eyes brighter and more youthful with eyelid surgery or double eyelid surgery.
The ideal nose
Because it’s at the center of your face, there is so much more than goes into what the ideal nose looks like.
Based on the theory of vertical fifths, the width of your nose should be equal to the middle fifth. Also, the distance between the tip of your nose and your face must be the same as its width.
If you want a nose that’s in perfect proportion with your face, check out the rhinoplasty page.
The ideal cheeks
The ideal cheeks should be plump and oval-shaped, providing definition to your eyes and lower part of the face. Your cheeks should also create the illusion of lifting your facial features so they don’t look flat.
If you want to give your entire face a lift with just one procedure, check out how cheek augmentation can help you.
The ideal ears
The ears should not be protruding from the front view to keep your features balanced.
Research shows that the average ear measures 2.5 inches, with the earlobe being 0.77 inches wide and 0.74 inches long. Men’s ears are also generally larger than women’s.
If you want to have your ears closer to these averages, read about otoplasty to see if it’s right for you.
The ideal lips
Many people prefer a more defined bottom lip, so the ideal ratio between the upper and lower lips should be one-third to two-thirds.
Getting fuller and more luscious lips is possible with lip augmentation. Learn more about it here.
The ideal chin
For men, a strong and angular chin looks great. But for women, the ideal chin is much smoother and softer.
Your chin does a lot to balance your features. Viewed from the side, a small chin makes your nose look too big or your neck look too fleshy.
But a chin that’s in proportion to the rest of your face depicts confidence for men and femininity for women.
If you want your chin to accentuate all the right features, see how chin augmentation can help.
In a Nutshell
Beauty may differ from one person to another, but good facial proportions are universal. That’s why even a slight improvement in the shape of your eyes or lips can dramatically improve your profile.
Make sure that you choose a qualified and experienced plastic surgeon like Dr. Siamak Agha to help you improve and enhance your beautiful facial features. He can help you decide which procedures can bring out the best results depending on your overall facial profile.
Schedule your consultation with Dr. Agha to see how you can bring out your most beautiful self.
