Perception of the most perfect female breast shape among Malays, Chinese, and Indians community

Abstract

Researchers have long tried to search for the ‘perfect’ aesthetic outcome of breast surgery. Although lots of anthropometric studies have been done, there is no consensus when dealing with harmony, abstract, and proportion that make up for its ideal shape. This study was convened via a survey to find the most perfect breast shape by assessing the upper pole contour and upper pole to lower pole ratio (UP:LP) preference among the Malays, Chinese, and Indians races. Hundred thirty-five individuals partook in this survey. Most of the participants generally preferred a more convex shape of upper pole contour with the Malay (50%) and Indian (35.7%) favored a more convex shape while the Chinese preferred it to be just slightly convex (42.8%). Single unmarried individuals (64.7%) significantly preferred a more convex upper pole contour (p = 0.018). The UP:LP ratio of 45:55 (p = 0.002) was the most significantly preferred proportion (37.8%) which largely comprised of the Chinese (51%), followed by Indian (21.6%) and Malay (19.6%). With these findings, using a controlled perception-preference method is a more preferred choice when describing an ideal breast shape as compare to an anthropometric measurement that might be less accurate. Therefore, breast and plastic surgeons alike need to look beyond the anthropometric numbers and should consider the other ‘abstract’ aesthetic shape which difficult to measure including the upper pole breast that has more convexity and the UP:LP ratio of 45:55 which showed to be the most aesthetically perfect form as agreed in the current works of literature.