Facial Aesthetics Gender Differences

The word aesthetic is derived from the Greek word aisthe-sis, which means having a sense or love of that which is beautiful. The attractive, idealized face tends to exhibit several general characteristics, with slightly different proportions and shapes between women and men. While there are exceptions to every rule, these trends tend to be universally perceived across different cultures and across the ages. The idealized female face tends to exhibit:

• A larger, smooth forehead with a smaller nose
• Eyebrows that have an arch or gull-wing shape
• Eyes that are set wider apart, creating a bigger look
• Prominent cheekbones
• A heart-shaped taper to the lower face, with a smaller lower-to-upper face ratio
• Full, vermillion lips

The attractive masculine face tends to have:

• An overhanging, horizontal brow with minimal arch
• Deeper set eyes that appear closer together
• A somewhat larger nose
• A wider mouth
• A squared lower face with a more equal ratio of lower-to-upper face proportions
• A beard or coarser texture to the lower facial skin

Aesthetics is a scientific attempt to explain a subjective concept by assigning proportions to various components of the face. Although these proportions may be used to define the ‘ideal,’ ‘attractive,’ or ‘perfect’ face, the real value in studying these principles lies in clarifying the range of normal relationships that exist between facial units. Harmony and balance of the face exists through a wide range of sizes, shapes, and configurations of the individual parts. The cosmetic surgeon must appreciate this in order to understand the changes that the face endures over time.