The aesthetic proportion index of facial contour surgery

An oval-shaped face is considered ideal in Chinese culture, which means not only narrow mid and low face but also appropriate proportion between them. Numerous surgical resections of the malar and mandibular angles began in the 1980s. The objective of this study was to investigate the facial proportion index before and after facial contour surgery. All 266 patients were subjected to L-shaped reduction malarplasty and reduction of mandibular angles with partial masseter muscle resection. All computed tomographic parameters (preoperative and 2 years postoperative) were conducted on facial morphometry to reveal the change of the facial proportion index of hard and soft tissue, respectively, such as the widest part of the mid face (WM), widest part of the lower face (WL), facial height (FH), WM/WL, WM/FH, and WL/FH. All patients were satisfied with the optimal outcome of the combined facial contour surgery. Morphometric analysis indicated that the ideal WM/WL ratio was 1.27 ± 0.1 (1.21 ± 0.09 preoperative) in hard tissue and 1.2 ± 0.12 (1.16 ± 0.12 preoperative) in soft tissue 2 years postoperatively. The combined facial contour surgery could acquire an ideal facial contour for Chinese patients. Furthermore, the relative proportion index can be referenced as the standard for preoperative design.