An Overlooked Landmark for the Crooked Nose: Eyebrow Position

Rhinoplasty is one of the most unforgiving operations in facial plastic surgery. The correction of nasal deviation in an asymmetrical face can be challenging because known facial landmarks may mislead the surgeon. Eyebrows trimmed asymmetrically in an effort to create a more symmetrical facial appearance may be overlooked by surgeons.

To define the relationship between the eyebrow position and external nasal deviation in patients with a crooked nose.

Analysis was made of the preoperative and 6-month postoperative life-size photographs of female rhinoplasty patients who had been referred to the senior author's clinic between May 2014 and June 2019. The anthropometric landmarks on the life-size photographs were identifed. The most medial points of the eyebrows and most deviated part of the nose were marked and the distance from the mid-canthal point was measured.

The direction and amount of eyebrow shift were compared with the direction and amount of nasal deviation.

Of the total 94 female rhinoplasty patients with at least one level external nasal deviation, 67 (71.2%) had ipsilateral eyebrow shift with external nasal deviation. The preoperative external nasal deviation amount was 1.81 ± 1.21 mm and preoperative eyebrow shift was 1.18 ± 1.06 mm (rS = 0.429, p < 0.001). The postoperative nasal deviation was 0.79 ± 0.92 mm, and the eyebrow shift was 0.54 ± 0.62 mm (rS = 0.570, p < 0.001).

Patients may tend to trim their eyebrows towards the side of the external nasal deviation. After centralization of the crooked nose with rhinoplasty, asymmetric eyebrow shaping tendencies of the patients were also seen to be improved.

This 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 .