Social Perception of the Nasal Dorsal Contour in Male Rhinoplasty

Nuyen B, Kandathil CK, Saltychev M, Most SP.

PubMed 31219525 Publisher (DOI)Free full text (PMC)

What this paper says

Shown 12 simulated male profiles, 503 internet respondents judged a slightly scooped ("ski slope") nose with a 130-degree nasofrontal angle and 97-degree nasolabial angle the most attractive, and a humped nose with 140 and 105 degrees the oldest, least approachable, least attractive and least healthy.

Overview

Most's group generated 12 profile images from one male volunteer by varying dorsal shape, nasofrontal angle (NFA) and nasolabial angle (NLA), then surveyed adult internet users, masked to the study purpose, on social attributes: youth, approachability, health, masculinity/femininity, intelligence, success and leadership.

Sections of note

503 respondents: 81.9% women, 76.7% white, median age 46.
Ski-slope nose, NFA 130, NLA 97: most attractive (95% CI 18-26%, P < .001).
Contours without a hump were most associated with youth, approachability and femininity.
Hump nose, NFA 140, NLA 105: oldest (35-44%), least approachable (27-35%), least attractive (37-42%), least healthy (26-34%).
Preferences varied significantly by observer age, sex and race/ethnicity.

What it means for a patient

Observers read a dorsal hump on a man as older and less approachable, and a gently reduced bridge with a slightly upturned tip as more attractive, in this survey.
The same features were also read as more feminine, which a man may or may not want.
One volunteer's face and mostly female raters limit how far this generalises.

Why this paper matters

It quantifies lay perception of male profile changes, informing how far to reduce a male hump. Limits: single face, simulated images, online sample skewed to women.

Terms

Nasofrontal angle (NFA): the angle between forehead and bridge; smaller means a deeper nasal root.
Nasolabial angle (NLA): the angle between upper lip and columella; larger means more upturned.
Dorsal contour: the profile line of the bridge (straight, humped, or concave).
Ski-slope nose: a gently concave bridge.

Summary written by rhinoplasty.cc from the abstract, 2026-09-08; not medical advice. The authors' own abstract follows.

Abstract

Importance: The social perception of nasal dorsal modification for male rhinoplasty is poorly understood.

Objective: To investigate the association of modifying the male nasal dorsum with the perception of such social attributes as youth, approachability, healthiness, masculinity/femininity, intelligence, successfulness, and leadership.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Using computer simulation software, 12 images with varied combinations of the nasal dorsal shape, nasofrontal angle (NFA), and nasolabial angle (NLA) were generated from a photograph of a male volunteer's face in profile. These photographs were then sent to participants at a university clinic who were English-speaking adult internet users who were masked to the purpose of the study, which asked them to value different social attributes regarding the face in the photograph in a 16-question survey. The study was conducted in September 2018 and the data were analyzed thereafter until March 2019.

Exposures: Twelve photographs embedded in a 16-question survey.

Main Outcomes And Measures: Population proportions of responses and χ2 test and graphical analysis based on 95% confidence intervals.

Results: Of 503 respondents (survey provision rate, 100%), 412 (81.9%) were women, 386 (76.7%) were white, 32 (6.4%) were Hispanic or Latinx, 63 (12.5%) were black/African American, 10 (2.0%) were Asian/Pacific Islander, and the median age was 46 years (interquartile range, 32-61 years). The man with ski slope-shaped nose with an NFA of 130° and NLA of 97° was often associated with frequently perceived positive characteristics; specifically, he was judged to be the most attractive (95% CI, 18%-26%; P < .001). Participants also often associated superlative youth (95% CI, 15%-24%; P < .001), approachability (95% CI, 13%-20%; P = .002), and femininity (95% CI, 14%-22%; P < .001) with dorsal contours that did not feature a dorsal hump. The man with a dorsal hump-shaped nose with an NFA of 140° and NLA of 105° was associated by the highest proportion of participants with being the oldest (95% CI, 35%-44%; P < .001), least approachable (95% CI, 27%-35%; P < .001), least attractive (95% CI, 37%-42%; P < .001), and least healthy (95% CI, 26%-34%; P < .001). Subset analyses also revealed statistically significant dorsal contour preferences by observers' age, gender, and race/ethnicity.

Conclusions And Relevance: A reduced dorsal slope combined with more acute NFAs and NLAs was associated with positively perceived social attributes. The results may be of interest to rhinoplasty surgeons and their male patients when planning changes to the nasal dorsal contour.

Level Of Evidence: NA.

Abstract as indexed by PubMed; the article is open access (PubMed Central).