Abstract
Surgical and non-surgical aesthetic treatments are very popular throughout Asia and in particular in China. With the globalisation and immigration of Chinese people to other countries where many seek treatment from Western-trained doctors, it is important to understand the ideals of beauty amongst Chinese people so as to achieve optimal results. We conducted an online survey to understand the preference of Han Chinese laypersons for facial shape, profile (straight, convex, concave), jaw angle and shape, and shape of the chin, nose, and lips. In addition, the participants were asked about their educational level, geographic location, likelihood to have cosmetic surgery, preference for surgical or non-surgical cosmetic procedures and whether “being beautiful” would affect their daily life. A total of 1417 responses were collected from 599 male and 818 female participants, the majority of them who were 25–35 years old (58.93%). The responses showed that the majority of participants preferred an oval face shape, with a smoothly tapered jaw angle for both men and women, round and pointy chin for both genders, straight to concave nose profile and full lips with well-defined cupid’s bow. Most responders indicated they were not willing to undergo cosmetic surgery; however, when given a choice between surgical and non-surgical cosmetic procedures, 82.22% of the participants preferred non-surgical procedures. The majority of respondents (83%) thought that being beautiful has an effect on daily life and improves quality of life.Level of Evidence VThis 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.
Highlights
The idea of a universal standard for facial beauty is a widely debated topic and is of interest to researchers, sociologists, and aesthetic professionals including plastic surgeons orthodontists, dermatologists and aesthetic practitioners
We conducted an online survey to understand the preference of Han Chinese laypersons for facial shape, profile, jaw angle and shape, and shape of the chin, nose, and lips
The results of our survey, conducted amongst Han Chinese people living in Mainland China, found that preferred facial features include an oval facial shape, straight facial profile for women, pointy chin for both men and women, plump upper and lower lips with tapering volume towards the oral commissures and a well-defined Cupid’s bow with round apices, a straight or mildly concave nasal profile, and an obtuse jaw angle for both men and women
Summary
The idea of a universal standard for facial beauty is a widely debated topic and is of interest to researchers, sociologists, and aesthetic professionals including plastic surgeons orthodontists, dermatologists and aesthetic practitioners. The study reported that Asian, Hispanic, and White men were consistent in their judgment of female attractiveness, independent of race. The theory that beauty standards are innate has been a subject of debate and can be supported by a study that was carried out by Langlois et al in which infants (2–3 and 6–8 months old) were shown faces that were pre-rated as attractive and unattractive [8]. Both groups of infants looked significantly longer at the prerated attractive faces [8]. The general principles of beauty and aesthetic enhancement appear to be relatively homogeneous independent of race and cultural background, with similar aesthetic goals that are only modestly influenced by culture, environment, and media
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