Symmetry is thought to be a major prerequisite for an attractive face. Many faces are not symmetric, yet are still regarded as beautiful. What role, then, does asymmetry play in the perception of beauty? We studied the assessment of computer-manipulated images by independent judges (n = 200-250): part A: nevi located at different positions; part B: standardized changes of the orbital region. The results showed that slight lateral orbital and facial asymmetry does not impair attractiveness at all and that asymmetries close to the midline are significantly less attractive than those affecting the lateral aspect of the face (P < 0.001). A single nevus which is located laterally on the face is significantly more attractive than a nevus close to the midline (P < 0.001). Faces with a completely symmetric bilateral pair of nevi in the same lateral positions (perceived as attractive when alone), received the worst ratings (P < 0.001). Symmetry is a characteristic of the attractive face, but there are exceptions to the rule. Under certain conditions symmetry can be completely unattractive. The visual impact of symmetry on the perception of beauty increases significantly when approaching the midline.

The aim of the present study was to assess the impact of standardised computer-manipulated changes to images of the orbital region. Judges (n=250) ranked each image for attractiveness on a visual-analogue-scale. The images were thereby classified into different clusters according to their ratings of attractiveness. These clusters were highly significantly different (p<0.001). The degree of negative impact of changes to the orbital region on facial attractiveness increased significantly from lateral to medial and from cranial to caudal. Small asymmetrical or symmetrical lateral variations did not influence attractiveness negatively.

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