Periorbital Measurements of Attractiveness in Young Black Women: An Anthropometric Approach

Background: Since features of periorbital attractiveness may differ according to ethnicity, it is important that surgical procedures consider a patient’s ethnic background. Objective: The objective of this study is to determine what makes the periorbital region attractive in young Black women, which is vital to achieving a desired oculoplastic aesthetic outcome. Methods: A total of 318 periorbital images of young Black women were collected from publicly available sources online. Images were evaluated for attractiveness on a Likert scale of 1 to 5 by 10 independent evaluators. Over 40 measurements were obtained using ImageJ software from the most and least attractive images to identify features associated with periorbital attractiveness. Results: Attractive eyes had significantly shorter upper lid and pretarsal show distances. At the mid-pupillary line, attractive eyes had a mean upper lid show of 8.15 mm±2.12 versus 9.84 mm±2.58 ( P <0.001), and a mean pretarsal show of 3.76 mm±1.19 versus 4.53 mm±1.62 ( P =0.008). A smaller endocanthion angle (42.8±10.09 degrees versus 50.49±14.03 degrees, P =0.002) and greater intercanthal tilt (9.1±2.76 degrees versus 6.63±3.11 degrees, P <0.001) were also observed. In addition, peak points of the superior brow, upper lid crease, and upper lash line curvature were more lateralized. Conclusion: Periorbital attractiveness in young Black women is associated with distinct anatomic trends. Recognizing these patterns can guide more individualized and culturally informed surgical approaches.