Enhancing Aesthetic Harmony: Comprehensive Anthropometric Lip Measurements in Youthful and Attractive Indonesian Adults for Precision Cosmetic Procedures

Abstract

Lips are an important part of our perception of beauty, youthfulness and attractiveness. Aesthetic lips, as with the rest of the face, differs according to age, ethnicity and sex. The aim of this study was to evaluate the anthropometric measurements of the lips of young and attractive Indonesian adults. Photographs of faces were taken at an anterior neutral position for 100 participants; 47 men and 53 women volunteered to participate in this study. Seven landmarks were used in this study: stomion (st), sublabiale (sl), subnasale (sn), labiale superius (ls), labiale inferius (li), crista philtre (cp) and chelion (ch). Using these landmarks, lower lip height, upper lip height, philtrum length, upper vermillion height, lower vermillion height, cutaneous lower lip height, philtrum width and mouth width were measured. The results were analysed using independent t-test and Mann-Whitney test. Significant differences in lip size were observed between men and women in all the measurements st-sl (lower lip height), sn-st (upper lip height), sn-ls (philtrum length), li-sl (cutaneous lower lip height), sn-ls/ls-st (philtrum length and upper vermillion height) and ls-li/ch-ch (cutaneous lower lip height and mouth width) with a significance of p=0.003, p=0.007, p<0.001, p=0.05, p=0.005 and p=0.021, respectively. Male lip measurements of ch-ch (overall lip width) and ls-st/li-st (overall lower lip height) were significantly smaller than those of female lips. The lip ratios calculated in this study were congruent with aesthetic parameters reported in other populations. This study suggests that the same measurement standards cannot be used on different populations, but these ratios may offer a better framework for precision cosmetic procedures. We believe that the results obtained in this study on lip anthropometry will help in optimising the standard values that can be used for the Indonesian population aged 20 to 35 years.