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New Theory of Facial Beauty: Circles of Prominence Simply Explained
- Do we have the answer to facial esthetics?
- What elements actually define how a face is attractive or not?
Many of these types of questions are being asked everyday. But, today's surgeons do not truly know the answers to them. Even today, the leading theory for facial beauty, namely the neo-classical canons, is based on theories that originated during the times of the Greek and were revised during the Renaissance. Numerous studies have tested this theory and they have found that they do not distinguish an attractive face from one that is average. There has been no significant change for almost 600 years. The problem with theories in the past are found in their dependence on external facial landmarks that we do not really pay attention to. A theory based on what a person actually "sees" would be vital. Studies by neuropsychologists have found that a person who is asked to evaluate a picture of a new face look at certain shapes preferentially. The eyes (especially the iris), nose and mouth grasp the most attention. The iris has often been described as the "window to the soul". Because we experience much of our world through the sense of sight, it may be that we focus attention on the iris because of this knowledge. One important point to emphasize is that all of the shapes and dimensions of the face have their own existence. Philosophically, if there are grades of beauty there must be an ideal. Because we spend most of our time focusing on the iris, the theory states that the iris and its diameter dictate all of the dimensions of the face. Hence, the iris dictates the size of many shapes on the face (figure 2). Important distances are defined by the iris width (shown in figure 3 these distances are 3 iris widths). The arrangements of the face can be broken down into diagonals (figure 4, obliques). The eyes have multiples circles that people identify and their orientations along with their shapes are vitally important (figure 5). This same thought applies to the mouth (figure 6). The more the mouth and lips are similar to the eye in shape the more beautiful. When a person speaks, sings or smiles the eye is brought to life by the movements of the mouth. When the mouth is larger than the eye units, it dominates the face and makes the face less attractive. Every aspect of the face is tied in with one another (figure 7). Every shape associates with one another through well defined angles (figure 8). When a face follows all of these rules harmony, symmetry, balance, and proportion are accomplished and the ultimate result is beauty.
Understanding these elements of facial esthetics is vital for the surgeon. When a patient comes into the office desiring to improve their appearance, knowing the ultimate goals and truly understanding what a particular face needs is crucial. The surgeon who understands how a face is put together in the "minds eye" has the decisive advantage in reaching these goals.
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