Implications for Nasal Recontouring: Nasion Position Preferences as Determined by a Survey of White North Americans

Abstract

White North American men (n = 75) and women (n = 75) were surveyed to investigate gender specific preferences of nasion position, which may aid plastic surgeons in nasal shaping during rhinoplasty. The subjects were asked to rank preferences of various nasion positions from life-size, scaled, sketched male and female profiles. Nasion positions with regard to height (anterior projection) and level (vertical position) were altered, whereas all other facial and nasal anthropometric measurements were held constant. The nasion heights were drawn at 7, 10, and 13 mm anteriorly to the corneal plane, and the nasion levels were drawn at the supratarsal fold (ST), upper lid ciliary margin (CM), midpupil (MP), and lower limbus (LL). The rank selections made by the female and male subjects of both gender profiles demonstrated statistical significance, as demonstrated by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) of ranks (p < 0.001). Further analysis using a post-Dunn test was completed to delineate significant gender specific preferences for the aesthetic nasion level and height. Female nasion levels were preferred at CM or MP over LL or ST on the basis of female ranks, and at ST, CM, or MP over LL on the basis of male ranks (p < 0.05 for all comparisons). Additionally, female nasion heights were preferred at 10 mm > 13 mm > 7 mm anterior to the corneal plane on the basis of both female and male ranks (p < 0.05 for all comparisons). Male nasion levels were preferred at ST, CM, or MP over LL on the basis of both male and female ranks (p < 0.05 for all comparisons). Male nasion heights were preferred at 10 mm > 13 mm > 7 mm anterior to the corneal plane by both male and female ranks (p < 0.05 for all comparisons). In summary, both the male and female subjects strongly disliked a low nasion height of 7 mm and a low nasion level placed at LL for both gender profiles. Both the male and female subjects were most particular concerning nasion height, preferring a 10-mm projection and strongly disliking a deeper 7-mm height for both male and female profiles. Both the male and female subjects were more tolerant of nasion level alterations. Whereas the male subjects tolerated nasion levels at ST, CM, or MP for either gender profile, the female subjects preferred only nasion levels at CM and MP for the female gender. Overall, these findings may lend support to recent trends in radix augmentation during rhinoplasty, especially among male patients.