Anatomical location of skin aberrations mediates their impact on perceived attractiveness in Central Europeans’ faces

Minor aberrations of facial skin are prevalent in the adult population. While some individuals consider these imperfections “beauty spots”, others seek removal because of perceived unattractiveness. Despite advancements in cosmetic procedures, the impact of the location of skin abnormalities on perceived facial attractiveness remains underexplored.

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of anatomical location on the aesthetic perception of facial skin abnormalities. Skin aberrations were digitally rendered on model faces at 158 distinct anatomical locations. Images were evaluated for perceived attractiveness by a gender-balanced sample of 817 adults.

The analysis revealed significant regional differences in aesthetic tolerance. The nose was the region with the lowest, while cheeks and lateral forehead were the regions with the highest tolerance toward skin lesions. Significant differences were found between the central and lateral forehead and between the upper and lower lips.

The results of this study confirm that the anatomic location of the aberration within the face is important for aesthetic perception. Additionally, the results suggest that the median and lateral frontal regions as well as the upper and lower lips should be considered separate aesthetic units. The first author was partially supported by the Nicolaus Copernicus University, grant IDUB-Debiuty 7/2024.

The last author was partially supported by the AI4Medicine research team within the Priority Research Area (POB) “Discovery, Diagnostics, Therapy for Healthcare (D2TH)” at Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun under the Excellence Initiative - Research University (IDUB) programme. Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Faculty of Medicine in Bydgoszcz, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Skłodowskiej-Curie 9, 85-094, Bydgoszcz, Poland Faculty of Physics, Astronomy and Informatics, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Torun, Poland Faculty of Medicine in Bydgoszcz, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Bydgoszcz, Poland Center for Research on Biological Basis of Social Behavior, SWPS University, Warsaw, Poland Department of Mathematical Statistics and Data Mining, Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun, Torun, Poland Institute of Advanced Studies, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun, Wilenska 4, 87-100, Torun, Poland The authors declare no competing interests. The study was conducted according to the principles of the declaration of Helsinki and was approved by the Nicolaus Copernicus University IRB; approval #KB482/2024.

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