Evaluation of the beauty standards for forehead morphology in Black women: Implications in surgical and non-surgical forehead contouring

Palak P Oza ¹, Andrew H Lee ²

⁰CUNY School of Medicine, Townsend Harris Hall, 1589 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10031, USA.

Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery : Jpras +

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April 24, 2025

View abstract on PubMed

Summary

Forehead shape differs between conventionally beautiful Black and Caucasian women. Black women exhibit a rounder forehead, impacting facial feminization surgery planning for diverse populations.

Area Of Science

Plastic Surgery
Anthropometry
Aesthetic Surgery

Background

Forehead feminization cranioplasty is key in facial feminization surgery.
Current aesthetic standards often rely on Caucasian beauty ideals.
This may not represent diverse patient populations adequately.

Purpose Of The Study

To evaluate forehead shape differences between conventionally beautiful Black and Caucasian women.
To inform surgical planning for forehead feminization cranioplasty in diverse populations.
To introduce novel methods for forehead shape analysis.

Main Methods

Analysis of side profile images of women identified from "StyleCraze" lists.
Comparison using elliptical and piecewise linear models.
Measurement of forehead slope, angle, and eccentricity.

Main Results

Black women showed reduced forehead eccentricity (greater roundness).
A more acute inferior forehead angle was observed in Black women.
Significant morphological variations in forehead shape were identified.

Conclusions

Forehead shape varies significantly between Black and Caucasian women.
Surgical planning for feminizing cranioplasty must consider these morphological differences.
Novel modeling techniques offer a basis for future craniofacial studies.

Keywords:

Cranioplasty Ethnic variation Forehead feminization surgery Forehead morphology