A Quantitative Approach to Determining the Ideal Female Lip Aesthetic and Its Effect on Facial Attractiveness

Abstract

IMPORTANCE Aesthetic proportions of the lips and their effect on facial attractiveness are poorly defined. Established guidelines would aid practitioners in achieving optimal aesthetic outcomes during cosmetic augmentation.OBJECTIVE To assess the most attractive lip dimensions of white women based on attractiveness ranking of surface area, ratio of upper to lower lip, and dimensions of the lip surface area relative to the lower third of the face. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTSIn phase 1 of this study, synthetic morph frontal digital images of the faces of 20 white women ages 18 to 25 years old were used to generate 5 varied lip surface areas for each face. These 100 faces were cardinally ranked by attractiveness through our developed conventional and internet-based focus groups by 150 participants. A summed ranking score of each face was plotted to quantify the most attractive surface area. In phase 2 of the study, 4 variants for each face were created with 15 of the most attractive images manipulating upper to lower lip ratios while maintaining the most attractive surface area from phase 1. A total of 60 faces were created, and each ratio was ranked by attractiveness by 428 participants (internet-based focus groups). In phase 3, the surface area from the most attractive faces was used to determine the total lip surface area relative to the lower facial third.

What Do We Find Attractive about the Face?: Survey Study with Application to Aesthetic Surgery

“…from the 1930s until the 1990s and found that only lips changed considerably over the years, in terms of fuller lips. Using a similar methodology as this study, another study by Popenko et al () found that Type 1:2 lips are the most attractive among females in the United States. However, the authors of this study showed photographs of isolated lips to study participants as opposed to the entire face.…”

“…In our study, Type 1:2 lips were the highest rated for males, while in females, it was Type 2:1 lips. The different results could be due to lack of visualization of the entire face in the other study (Popenko et al, ).…”

Comparing the Use of Injectable Fillers for the Youthful Lip and the More Mature Lip

“…Numerous attempts have been made to define the ideal lip size and shape and to confirm historic definitions of the "perfect lip." 5,6 Ideal lip show has been previously described by using the golden or phi ratio of 1:1.618 for the upper and lower lip, respectively. 7 But while ideal proportions should be considered in all lip treatments, the patient's desires should carry equal weight.…”

A variety of processes that affect the perception of skin aging

“…The natural shape of the lips and equal proportionality are also important. When the upper lip is unnaturally enlarged to the lower lip, the overall image of the face looks unfavorable, the face looks unnatural, plastic [38]. With age, the corners of the mouth fall down gravitationally.…”