Age, Sex, and Face Type Influence Chinese Facial Aesthetic Perception and Swelling Evaluation on the Mandibular Region

Objective: This study aims to comprehensively investigate individuals’ perceptions of facial aesthetics and their evaluations of swelling in the mandibular region. Method: Images of 6 Chinese subjects were digitally altered to simulate changes in intergonial width and postoperative swelling, which were then assessed or scored by evaluators. Aesthetic evaluations significantly varied with age, sex, and face shape. Results: Female tapered faces consistently received the highest aesthetic preference across all ages ( P <0.05), while square female faces preferred smaller ratios. Male square faces showed age-dependent preference shifts, with younger evaluators favoring smaller ratios and older evaluators favoring larger ratios. In swelling evaluations, female subjects, particularly those with square faces, were significantly less tolerated by evaluators regardless of evaluator sex ( P <0.0001). Male evaluators were stricter overall ( P =0.005). Medically related evaluators demonstrated greater tolerance to mandibular angle distance-to-face width ratios compared with nonmedically related evaluators ( P =0.027). Conclusion: This study revealed that age, sex, and face type were all features influencing facial aesthetic and swelling evaluation.