Facial balance: Achieving the golden ratio

We all have an idea of what facial perfection is, and it’s been that way ever since the dawn of time. As a matter of fact, there’s been one particular formula that’s been around since the earliest days of geometry, right back to the Greek mathematicians of yore: the Golden Ratio.

What is the Golden Ratio?

We could go straight down the rabbit-hole with this, but we’ll try to keep it as simple as possible: the Golden Ratio (also known as the Golden Section or Divine Proportion) is a mathematical calculation which has been applied to art and architecture in an attempt to create aesthetic perfection. In layperson’s terms, it’s a special number found by dividing a line into two parts, so that the longer part divided by the smaller part is equal to the whole length divided by the longer part. When properly adhered to, the overall effect is of perfect symmetry of the component parts, working together in harmony.

There are many examples of this in history: the Pyramids, the Parthenon, Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper, Michelangelo’s work on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, etc. There are also multiple versions of it across nature: in flower petals, seed heads, pine cones, shells – all the way out to the Milky Way and all the way down to the DNA molecule.

Applying this to aesthetics

Naturally, the human face also adheres to the Golden Ratio principle: face-on, the head is supposed to form a Golden Rectangle, with the eyes at the mid-point, with the mouth and nose placed in equidistant points. This principle applies when viewed side-on, too – and goes all the way down to the positioning of the eyes and layout of the teeth.

So how can the Golden Ratio be deployed to improve the shape and appearance of the face? Well, this sense of proportion can act as a good rule of thumb to work out what procedures would benefit a client. For example, many clients who come to us believing they’re in need of rhinoplasty because they feel their nose is too big, when in actual fact the problem is that have a recessive chin. A simple application of fillers to the chin to increase its volume and prominence will balance out the appearance.

However, we should always remember that cosmetic surgery is not a mathematical equation, where the various parts can be moved about at will in order to capture an aesthetic ideal. As always, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and the most important judge of that is the person themselves – and our job is to improve the areas of the face our clients have never been truly been happy with.  

For more information on the services we can provide here at Surgical Aesthetics, click here.