If you’ve got a heart-shaped face like Hollywood star Reese Witherspoon, you can class yourself ‘mathematically beautiful’.
Having cheekbones that are as wide as your eyebrows is the most desirable type of face, researchers have discovered.
The conclusion was derived after analysing the average facial measurements from photographs of 55 beautiful female models.
And scientists at the Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia were able to quantify the exact idealistic facial proportions.
Hollywood actress Reese Witherspoon has the one type of face deemed desirable by experts
If you’ve got a heart-shaped face like Hollywood star Reese Witherspoon, you can class yourself ‘mathematically beautiful’. Having cheekbones that are as wide as your eyebrows is the most desirable type of face, researchers have discovered
They revealed that the ‘average inter pupillary distance’ – the distance between the model’s eyes – was a strict 59.2 mm.
While the vertical distance between your eyes and your cheekbones below should be 13.1mm if you want to class yourself as attractive.
Those measurements add up to a ‘heart-shaped’ face, which can act as a guide to help cosmetic surgeons design perfect looks through fillers or a facelifts.
Led by Dr Gary Linkov, the researchers used a measurement called WIZDOM, which stands for ‘Width of the Interzygomatic Distance of the Midface’.
This calculates the horizontal distance between the most prominent point of each cheek bone.
However, they admitted the WIZDOM measurements can be manipulated with the use of ‘highlighter makeup and blush’.
They then used this horizontal line as a base to analyse distances to other parts of the face, for the study published in Aesthetic Surgery Journal.
Some 13 distances were measured, but only eight were found to be statistically significant in terms of attractiveness.
| VARIABLE | THE IDEAL DISTANCE |
|---|---|
| Interpupillary distance | 59.2mm |
| Corneal diameter | 11.5mm |
| Nasal length | 43.6mm |
| Medial Canthus (MC) to lip | 53.8mm |
| WIZDOM-MC | 13.1mm |
| WIZDOM to chin diagonal | 98.9mm |
| WIZDOM to hairline vertical | 86.9mm |
| WIZDOM to chin vertical | 83.5mm |
Fifty-five stock photographs of female models were obtained from Shutterstock for the study, published in Aesthetic Surgery Journal.
Cosmetic surgeon Dr Allan Wulc, a senior author of the study, selected the pictures after typing in the phrase ‘beautiful young woman not smiling’.
Writing in the journal, researchers said: ‘The notion of “mathematical beauty” implies the existence of ideal facial contours, dimensions, and ratios that, when present, create a harmonious, balanced, and attractive face.
‘A heart-shaped midface is the quintessential symbol of youth and remains the overarching goal of mid facial rejuvenation.
‘However, few objective criteria exist to describe mid facial position, whether in the ideal or aged state.
‘We felt that these parameters might be useful to clinicians looking to find means of quantifying ageing changes, as well as postoperative improvements.’
The researchers added: ‘Interestingly, brow length and WIZDOM measurements were found to be nearly identical, without a statistically significant difference.
‘Therefore, the zygomaxillary points should ideally lie vertically below the tail of the corresponding eyebrow.’
Dr Gary Ross, a facial cosmetic surgeon based in Manchester has welcomed the findings.
He told MailOnline: ‘The face and neck can droop with age, as the skin loses its elasticity and the face appears to lose volume.
‘This equation essentially points out that enhanced volume in your face can make you look more aesthetically pleasing, scientifically speaking.
‘While we’ve always known this, it’s the first time anyone has sought to put an exact parameter on a “beautiful” mid face.’