Investigation of Chinese Auricular Parameters and Aesthetic Preferences.

Abstract

Background: As a crucial component of the middle facial contour, the auricle has a significant impact on a person's overall appearance and aesthetic impression. To further guide clinical auricular injection protocols by studying auricular parameters and aesthetic preferences in line with contemporary domestic aesthetics.

Methods: A total of 89 photographs of patients who met the preset criteria and who were admitted to our department from January 2023 to June 2023 were reviewed, which yielded 178 images by mirror-image processing. Eight plastic surgery experts scored the 178 pictures aesthetically and grouped them according to their auricular positions, sizes, and morphologies. We analyzed the relationship between each auricular parameter and proportion and the aesthetic score.

Results: As the auricular height increased, the aesthetic score increased accordingly, and the auricular protrusion was most likely to become more aesthetically pleasing at 54°; the score tended to decrease when the auricular protrusion angle was greater than 54°. The number of auricular protrusions was correlated with the aesthetic score (r = 0.5444, P < 0.0001). The aesthetic score was highest when the helix protruded from the antihelix, followed by the parallel position and then when the antihelix protruded. The most liked lobule shape was round, followed by square and triangular. A curve in the upper third of the auricle or in the lobule resulted in lower aesthetic scores.

Conclusions: Auricular aesthetics are influenced by many factors. The position, size, and shape of the auricle, as well as cultural differences, all affect the aesthetic scores of the auricle.

Level of evidence iv: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors  www.springer.com/00266 .