How Is a Beautiful Facial Side Profile Achieved?

Hello, I’m Dr. Jo Hyun-woo of Ipcheok Plastic Surgery.

Today, I’d like to talk about a beautiful face and the side profile.

Through several columns, I have talked about front-view effects, a slim face, the V-line, and many other terms related to the front view of the face.

However, a beautiful face is not only about a small, slim face from the front; the side view of the face is also very important.

These are the side profiles of celebrities whose faces we consider beautiful.

You can see that their side lines are very beautiful.

So, what kind of side line makes a beautiful face?

There is a term called a profile, which is used in dentistry and plastic surgery to refer to the side view.

The most commonly used line is the Ricketts line.

The Ricketts line is a standard for a beautiful side profile proposed in the 1950s by a dentist named Robert Ricketts.

Dr. Ricketts, who specialized in orthodontics, established a standard for the relationship between the nose, lips, and chin, and it is still used today as a standard for a pretty and handsome side profile.

This can be judged from photos, and it can also be assessed on radiographic images because the soft tissue is visible.

According to Western standards, it is considered ideal when the upper lip is about 4 mm behind the Ricketts line and the lower lip is about 2 mm behind it.

Since Western faces generally have higher noses and more developed chins, from an East Asian perspective, a slightly set-back position can be considered ideal, right?

Then let’s analyze the celebrities shown above using the Ricketts line.

As you can see in the photos, they are almost the same.

What should be done if the profile does not match the Ricketts line?

If the lips protrude more than the Ricketts line, the cause may be a low nose, a recessed chin, or protruding lips.

If you try to force the face to match the Ricketts line without analysis and simply raise the nose in a case of a recessed chin, it could lead to worse results, so it is best to analyze each cause carefully before surgery.

A low nose can be addressed through rhinoplasty, and a recessed chin can be corrected through chin advancement surgery, implant insertion, fat grafting, or fillers.

Finally, if the lips protrude, it would be important to analyze the cause carefully and consider orthodontic treatment or surgery for protruding lips.

Conversely, if the lips are behind the Ricketts line, the person may have a very large nose, or the lower jaw may be overdeveloped, as in a prognathic jaw.

From a dental standpoint, the teeth or alveolar bone may also be positioned behind the jaw.

In fact, if the nose is too high, its height can be reduced through osteotomy, and in the case of a prognathic jaw, it can be corrected through chin setback surgery or double-jaw surgery.

The teeth and alveolar bone may be improved through orthodontic treatment.

If the Ricketts line is simply judged as a line connecting the nose and chin, people undergoing orthognathic surgery or orthodontic treatment use radiographic images like this to mark multiple points, analyze them, and create a plan for a more beautiful line.

For people who find double-jaw surgery scary, a cheek implant procedure may also be used to create a side line.

I remember that when I was a resident, there was no such program, so I used to place tracing paper over the photo and draw it by hand to measure the angles.^^

In the end, I think the face should have this kind of curve.

It seems that doctors are working to create a convex face.

A face like this, with a concave profile, may not look beautiful even if a small and slim V-line has been created from the front.

Therefore, the volume of the midface is also a very important part of a beautiful side profile.

Various surgical methods may be applied to create a beautiful side profile.

As I always say, there is no single fixed standard for beauty. There are many celebrities who are beautiful and popular even if they do not match the Ricketts line.

Today, I talked about a beautiful side profile.

Rather than trying too hard to match only these ideal lines, if you have your own standard for what you consider a beautiful face shape, I think you can have an even more beautiful face.

Thank you.