Effect of esthetic illusions on rhinoplasty assessment.

OBJECTIVE

Esthetic assessment in rhinoplasty represents a balance between art and science. The result of surgical maneuvres in creating esthetic illusions has been alluded to, but has never been scientifically reported. This project analyzed the effect of optical illusions in esthetic assessment.

METHOD

Eight rhinoplasty case studies were designed using computer imaging. Two hundred and ten judges analyzed the apparent differences in one parameter, such as tip projection, tip rotation, dorsal hump, and nasal size, when a different parameter was altered.

RESULTS

This study confirms the validity of nasal esthetic illusions. These results indicate how surgical maneuvres that vary one parameter can create the illusion of a variation in tip projection or tip rotation.

CONCLUSIONS

The surgeon can exploit esthetic illusions to provide greater control over rhinoplasty dynamics.