Background: A quantitative evaluation of the influence of the lower component of the nasofrontal angle on perceived attractiveness and threshold values of desire for rhinoplasty.
Methods:The nasofrontal angle of an idealized silhouette male Caucasian profile image was altered incrementally between 106° to 148°. Images were rated on a Likert scale by pretreatment patients (n=75), laypeople (n=75), and clinicians (n=35).
Results:The results demonstrate that a nasofrontal angle of approximately 130° is ideal, corresponding to a lower component of 60°, with a range of 127° to 142° deemed acceptable.Angles above or below this range are perceived as unattractive, and anything outside the range of 118° to 145° is deemed very unattractive. Reduced nasofrontal angles, simulating a nasal hump deformity, of less than 115° were deemed the least attractive.In terms of threshold values of desire for surgery, for all groups a threshold value of 148° indicated a preference for surgery; for patients 121° or less, for lay people the threshold value was 124° or less and similarly 118° or less for clinicians.Clinicians were the least critical, and patients appeared to be less critical than lay people.This stresses the importance of using patients as observers, as well as laypeople and clinicians, in facial attractiveness research.
Conclusions:From the results of this study, it is recommended that in rhinoplasty planning, the range of normal variability of the nasofrontal angle, in terms of observer acceptance, is taken into account as well as the threshold values of desire for surgery.