gms | German Medical Science

49. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft der Plastischen, Rekonstruktiven und Ästhetischen Chirurgen (DGPRÄC), 23. Jahrestagung der Vereinigung der Deutschen Ästhetisch-Plastischen Chirurgen (VDÄPC)

13.09. - 15.09.2018, Bochum

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The ideal ear position in Caucasian females

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  • presenting/speaker Paul Heidekrüger - Universitätsklinikum Regensburg
  • Lukas Prantl - Caritas-Krankenhaus St. Josef Regensburg
  • Sabrina Juran - Städtisches Klinikum München
  • Aung Thiha - Universitätsklinikum Regensburg
  • Denis Ehrl - Ludwig Maximilians Universität München
  • P. Niclas Broer - Klinik für Plastische, Rekonstruktive, Hand- und Verbrennungschirurgie, Klinikum Bogenhausen

Deutsche Gesellschaft der Plastischen, Rekonstruktiven und Ästhetischen Chirurgen. Vereinigung der Deutschen Ästhetisch-Plastischen Chirurgen. 49. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft der Plastischen, Rekonstruktiven und Ästhetischen Chirurgen (DGPRÄC), 23. Jahrestagung der Vereinigung der Deutschen Ästhetisch-Plastischen Chirurgen (VDÄPC). Bochum, 13.-15.09.2018. Düsseldorf: German Medical Science GMS Publishing House; 2018. Doc057

doi: 10.3205/18dgpraec057, urn:nbn:de:0183-18dgpraec0570

Published: September 20, 2018

© 2018 Heidekrüger et al.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. See license information at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

Outline

Text

Background: Ear position contributes significantly to facial appearance. However, while objective measurements remain the foundation for esthetic evaluations, little is known about how an ear should ideally be positioned regarding its rotational axis. This study aimed to further evaluate whether there exists a universally applicable ideal ear axis, and how sociodemographic factors impact such preferences.

Materials and Methods: An interactive online survey was designed, enabling participants to change the axis of a female model's ear in terms of its forward and backward rotation. The questionnaire was sent out internationally to plastic surgeons and the general public. Demographic data were collected and analysis of variance was used to investigate respective preferences.

Results: A total of 1016 responses from 35 different countries (response rate: 18.5%) were gathered. Overall, 60% of survey takers chose the minus 10 or 5° angles to be most attractive. Significant differences were found regarding sex, ethnicity, country of residence, profession and respective ear axis preferences.

Conclusion: Across multiple countries and ethnicities, an ear position in slight reclination of minus 5-10° is considered most pleasing in Caucasian females. However, sociodemographic factors significantly impact individual ear axis preferences and should be taken into consideration when performing reconstructive ear surgery.