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The Deviated Nose and Groomed Eyebrows: An Important Trap to Avoid
Kristopher Katira, MD
Bahman Guyuron, MD, FACS
University Hospitals Case Medical Center Integrated Plastic Surgery Program
2013-02-28
Presenter: Kristopher Katira
Affidavit:
I certify that the material proposed for presentation in this abstract has not been published in any scientific journal or previously presented at a major meeting. Please make a statement as to how much of the above work represents the original work of the resident.
Director Name: Hooman Soltanian
Author Category: Resident Plastic Surgery
Presentation Category: Clinical
Abstract Category: Aesthetics
Purpose: This study was designed to characterize the phenomenon of eyebrow grooming among male and female patients seeking rhinoplasty.
Methods: Life-size photographs of 100 rhinoplasty patients were randomly selected from the senior author's practice. Nasal deviation from the facial midline was measured at standardized levels corresponding to the nasal bones (NB), upper lateral cartilages (ULC), and nasal tip (T). The direction of eyebrow shift was then compared to the direction of nasal deviation.
Results: The sample population consisted of 27 males and 73 females. 96 patients had measurable eyebrow asymmetry, including 96% of males and 96% of females. All 100 patients had at least one level of nasal deviation. The direction of eyebrow shift correlated significantly with the direction of NB deviation (p=0.0018), T deviation (p=0.0032) but not deviation of the ULC (p=0.54). The direction of eyebrow shift also correlated significantly with the direction of the maximally deviated nasal parameter (p=0.039). Mean eyebrow shift distance for males (1.8 mm) and females (1.4 mm) were not significantly different (p = 0.056). Females did not more frequently have matching eyebrow shift and nasal deviation directions (NB p = 0.090, ULC p = 0.42, T p = 0.71, MAX p =0.56).
Conclusion: Eyebrow asymmetry is common among both male and female rhinoplasty patients. The significant correlation between eyebrow asymmetry and nasal deviation patterns in this study suggest that eyebrows are groomed to compensate for nasal asymmetry in both males and females. This phenomenon has important implications for rhinoplasty planning.
