Perceptions of Attractive and Healthy-Looking Lips

Area of Science:

• Plastic Surgery
• Aesthetic Medicine
• Facial Aesthetics

Background:

• Facial aesthetics significantly influence self-perception and social interaction.
• Understanding ethnic-specific preferences for facial features, such as lips, is crucial for aesthetic procedures.
• Previous research has not extensively detailed Korean aesthetic preferences for specific lip proportions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine Korean perceptions of attractive and healthy-looking lip proportions.
• To analyze preferences across four key lip-related ratios: lip thickness-to-width (LTW), upper-to-lower vermillion (ULR), upper vermillion thickness-to-upper lip height (VUL), and lip-to-nose width (LNW).
• To investigate potential age-related differences in lip aesthetic preferences.

Main Methods:

• A survey was administered to 258 women and 72 men.
• Participants evaluated illustrations depicting various lip ratios.
• Respondents selected illustrations that they considered most attractive or healthy-looking.

Main Results:

• The most attractive lip thickness-to-width (LTW) ratios were 1/3 and 2/5; the healthiest was 2/5.
• The upper-to-lower vermillion (ULR) ratio of 4/5 was preferred for both attractiveness and health.
• The upper vermillion thickness-to-upper lip height (VUL) ratio of 1/2 was most favored for attractiveness and health.
• Lip-to-nose width (LNW) ratio of 3/2 was most attractive, while both 3/2 and 4/3 were considered healthy. Younger individuals preferred a wider lip (3/2 LNW), whereas older individuals preferred a narrower lip (4/3 LNW).

Conclusions:

• Specific lip proportions, including LTW 2/5, ULR 4/5, and VUL 1/2, are perceived as ideal by Koreans.
• Age influences lip width preferences, with older individuals favoring narrower lips.
• These findings provide valuable data for lip augmentation and aesthetic lip surgery in the Korean population.