Nasolabial Angle in Profiles Perceived as Attractive: A Scoping Review

The nose and lips area play an important role in facial appearance and nasolabial angle (NLA) can be considered as a determinant factor for attractiveness. The perception of beauty and attractiveness is vastly influenced by media and thus, can change with trends over time. The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review of literature on NLA in faces perceived as attractive over time and in different ethnic groups.

This study was performed following preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guideline. We conducted an electronic search using PubMed, Scopus, and Embase databases with the employment of MeSH and free text terms "beauty"[MeSH], "esthetics"[MeSH], "soft tissue", "nasolabial angle", "attractive" and "cephalometric analysis". The inclusion criteria were studies that indicated facial attractiveness by a panel of at least 10 judges, evaluated the soft tissue profile characteristics, and reported the preferred NLA.

The search results revealed 271 related articles, of which 21 studies investigated NLA as a conducive factor in profile attractiveness and were included in the review. The range of preferred NLA was 86° to 107° for men and 84° to 123.12° for women.

The most pleasing lip position and subsequently NLA is influenced by variables including the observer and subject’s gender, and their ethnic background as well as time. Over all, NLA in faces perceived as attractive is more obtuse in women than men. Compared to white norms, NLA is more acute among Chinese and African-Americans, while amongst Iranian women, it is not distinctly far from North American Caucasians. Over the course of time, preferred NLA has significantly changed in women but has been unwavering in men.