Summary
Background
This article identifies the key parameters that define the aesthetic ideal of the
breast. Whilst much has previously been written on the aesthetic characteristics of
the breast, thus far objective indices of beauty have not been identified.
Methods
In this observational study the breasts of 100 consecutive women in three quarter
profile pose, having been chosen as topless models for the attractiveness of their
breasts by editors of mass print media, were analysed to identify specific proportions
common to all of them. Analysis of a series of less attractive breasts was subsequently
carried out looking at divergence from the ‘norms’ identified in the first part of
the study.
Results
We have identified 4 key features consistently found in all the models in the consecutive
series: the proportion of the upper to the lower pole is a 45:55 ratio, the angulation
of the nipple is upwards at a mean angle of 20° from the nipple meridian, the upper
pole slope is linear or slightly concave, and the lower pole is convex.
Conclusions
Deviation from this pattern yields a less attractive breast – the greater the deviation,
the less attractive the breast. The importance of this template lies in its use as
a guide for the design of aesthetic breast surgery as well as objective analysis of
both good and bad results.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: August 25, 2011
Accepted:
August 2,
2011
Received:
April 5,
2011
Footnotes
☆Meetings at Which the Paper has been Presented: Presented at the World Congress on Controversies in Plastic Surgery 1st Annual Meeting, in Barcelona, Spain, November 4 through 7, 2010. Presented at the Scandinavian Society for Plastic Surgery Annual Meeting, in Oslo, Norway, June 24 through 27, 2009. Presented at the Turkish Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery 12th Annual Congress, in Istanbul, Turkey, November 8 to 9, 2008. Presented at the Akademikliniken Beauty Through Science 4th Annual Meeting, in Stockholm, Sweden, June 5 through 7, 2008. Presented at the Royal College of Surgeons of England Breast Augmentation Symposium 1st Annual Meeting, in London, United Kingdom, October 17, 2007.
Identification
Copyright
© 2011 British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
