Attractiveness of the nose\u00a0affects how people view the face \u2013 with attractive noses actually drawing less attention than unattractive noses,\u00a0reports a study in the\u00a0May\u00a0issue\u00a0of\u00a0Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery\u00ae,\u00a0the official medical journal of the\u00a0American Society of Plastic Surgeons\u00a0(ASPS). The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by\u00a0Wolters Kluwer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“Using eye-tracking technology, we found that observers spend less time looking at attractive noses,\u00a0shifting their focus to\u00a0other areas\u00a0\u2013 particularly the eyes,” comments ASPS Member Surgeon Robert D. Galiano, MD, of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago.\u00a0“That has\u00a0direct\u00a0implications for plastic surgeons performing rhinoplasty, emphasizing the importance of holistic assessment to\u00a0enhance facial balance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
How does your nose affect the way others view your face?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nose reshaping (rhinoplasty)\u00a0is\u00a0among the most\u00a0frequently\u00a0performed\u00a0cosmetic surgery procedures.\u00a0To assess how the appearance of the nose\u00a0relates to overall facial attractiveness, the researchers obtained standardized\u00a0facial\u00a0photographs of\u00a034 volunteer models\u00a0representing\u00a0a range of racial\/ethnic backgrounds.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The images were viewed by 31\u00a0volunteer\u00a0observers.\u00a0Using\u00a0eye-tracking technology, the researchers analyzed\u00a0what parts of the\u00a0model’s\u00a0face the raters\u00a0viewed\u00a0and how much time they spent looking at each area.\u00a0The eye-tracking data were\u00a0analyzed in\u00a0comparison with\u00a0ratings of\u00a0nasal and\u00a0facial attractiveness.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Attractiveness ratings had a significant impact on\u00a0eye-tracking patterns.\u00a0For models whose noses were rated unattractive, observers\u00a0spent more time looking at the nose compared to\u00a0models\u00a0with attractive noses: 0.81 versus 0.72 seconds.\u00a0Observers also shifted their gaze to unattractive noses more\u00a0frequently.\u00a0<\/p>\n
‘Attractive noses enhance facial harmony by blending into the face’\u00a0<\/p>\n
For models with unattractive noses, observers shifted their gaze to the mouth for a longer period:\u00a00.65 versus 0.54 seconds.\u00a0In contrast, for models with attractive noses, observers spent more time looking at the eyes:\u00a01.92 versus 1.69 seconds.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In isolated images, noses were rated less attractive for models with\u00a0asymmetry\u00a0of the nasal tip. However,\u00a0in full-face images,\u00a0asymmetry was no longer significantly related to\u00a0nasal attractiveness.\u00a0Nasal attractiveness\u00a0ratings\u00a0were\u00a0also unrelated to\u00a0the “neoclassical canon” of angles and ratios traditionally thought to be associated with\u00a0facial beauty.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The study “highlights the role of nasal symmetry and proportionality in facial attractiveness,”\u00a0according to the authors.\u00a0“The most attractive noses received drew the least attention to\u00a0themselves\u2026while\u00a0unattractive noses received prolonged visual attention.”\u00a0While that may seem counterintuitive, it is consistent with\u00a0previous\u00a0before-and-after studies in patients undergoing rhinoplasty\u00a0\u2013 emphasizing “the\u00a0importance of holistic\u00a0assessment of nasal aesthetics.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
“Simply\u00a0put:\u00a0unattractive noses stick out, and detract attention from other facial features, such as a person’s beautiful eyes or mouth,” Dr. Galiano adds. “Many of our\u00a0rhinoplasty\u00a0patients focus on specific things they don’t like about their nose, without considering how the nose influences overall nasal perception.\u00a0By showing how\u00a0attractive noses enhance facial harmony by blending into the face, our\u00a0study has\u00a0practical implications for aesthetic surgery, particularly in guiding patient expectations and\u00a0surgical planning.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
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