Facial Morphometrics in Black Celebrities: Contemporary Facial Analysis Using an Artificial Intelligence Platform

Abstract

The diversity of patients pursuing facial aesthetic and facial gender-affirming surgery (FGAS) is increasing, yet there is a paucity of objective guidelines to facilitate surgical decision-making in patients of color. We conducted a quantitative analysis of black celebrities using standardized frontal photos of 21 female and 21 male celebrities. Celebrities were chosen from popular entertainment magazines and websites, including People Magazine, the Internet Movie Database (IMDb), Cosmopolitan, and Essence. For each celebrity, 100 facial landmarks were detected through a facial analysis artificial intelligence (AI) program. Black males had greater facial height, bizygomatic width, lower facial height, and bigonial width than females. However, the facial height to bigonial width ratio was similar between genders and approximated the golden ratio (1.618). Female faces demonstrated a greater mid-face height to total facial height proportion, and males had a greater lower facial height proportion. Females exhibited an upward-slanted medial brow and shorter total eyebrow length, nose height, and alar width. Forehead height above the lateral brow was greater in males, while central forehead height was similar to females. This is the first study that has utilized AI to provide ethnicity-specific facial morphometrics relevant to facial rejuvenation and FGAS in the black population.

Keywords: African American; ethnic sensitive facial aesthetic surgery; facial aesthetics; facial gender affirmation; facial morphology.

Figure 1

Demonstration of the facial measurements obtained on a volunteer’s face to validate our method of pixel conversion to absolute measurements.

Figure 2

The main facial landmark points, measurements, and proportions. Facial height (trichion to menton), facial width (zygoma to zygoma), forehead width (hairline point 1 to hairline point 9), and bigonial width (gonion to gonion) are demonstrated by the solid purple lines. Forehead height (M4) and lower facial height are demonstrated by the solid white lines. Vertical facial thirds are demonstrated by the dashed purple lines, from exocanthion to endocanthion, endocanthion to endocanthion, and endocanthion to exocanthion. Horizontal facial thirds are demonstrated by the dashed yellow lines. Photos used with permission from Shutterstock. (Abbreviations: Tr, Trichion; HL, hairline; Gl, Glabella; En, endocanthion; Ex, exocanthion; Zy, zygoma; Gn, gonion; Sn, subnasale; Mn, menton; M, measurement; p, point).

Figure 3

The seven forehead measurements from the eyebrows (EB) to the hairline (HL). Forehead measurement 1 (FH M1) and FH M7 are the forehead heights above the lateral ends of the eyebrows. FH M2 and FH M6 are the forehead heights above brow peaks. FH M3 and FH M5 are the forehead heights above the medial ends of the eyebrows. FH M4 is the distance from the trichion (Tr, HL p5) to the glabella (Gl) and the central forehead height. Photo used with permission from Shutterstock.

Figure 4

Periorbital measurements. Palpebral fissure height is the distance from the highest to lowest point of the palpebral fissure. Palpebral fissure width is the distance from the endocanthion (En) to exocanthion (Ex). The medial brow length is measured from the medial brow point (EB p3) to the brow peak (EB p2). The lateral brow length is measured from the brow peak (EB p2) to the lateral brow point (EB p1). Total brow length is the length of the medial and lateral brow. Interpupillary distance is measured from one endocanthion to the other. Nose length is the distance from the nasion (Ns) to the pronasale (Pn), and alar width is the distance from ala (Al) to ala. Photo used with permission from Shutterstock.

Figure 5

The three eyebrow angles. Angles were measured in relation to the interpupillary line to account for tilting of the head. Brow angle 1 is formed by the medial brow line (yellow) and a line parallel to the interpupillary line (white). Brow angle 2 is formed by the medial brow line and the lateral brow line (yellow). Brow angle 3 is formed by the lateral brow line and a line parallel to the interpupillary line. Canthal tilt is demonstrated by the orange line. Photos used with permission from Shutterstock.

Figure 6

The 13 lower facial measurements. M1 and M13 are the distances from the subnasale (Sn) to the inferior border of the left (P1) and right earlobe (P13), respectively. M2 and M12 are the distances from the Sn to the left (P2) and right gonion (P12), respectively. M3 and M11 are the distances from the Sn to the jawline at P3 and P11, respectively. M4 and M10 are the distances from the Sn to the jawline at P4 and P10, respectively. M5 and M9 are the distances from the Sn to the jawline at P5 and P9, respectively. M6 and M8 are the distances from the Sn to the jawline at P6 and P8, respectively. M7 is the distance from the Sn to the menton (P7) and the central lower facial height. Photos used with permission from Shutterstock.

Figure 7

(A) The ratio of facial height to forehead width (R4): 3.45 in males, 3.17 in females (p-value = 0.011). (B) The ratio of facial width to forehead width (R6): 1.04 in males, 1.01 in females (p-value = 0.002). (C) The ratio of facial height to forehead height (R9): 3.45 in males, 3.17 in females (p-value = 0.011). Photos used with permission from Shutterstock.

Figure 8

(A) The ratio of facial width to bigonial width (R7): 1.12 in males, 1.18 in females (p-value < 0.001). (B) The ratio of forehead width to bigonial width (R8): 1.08 in males, 1.17 in females (p-value < 0.001). Photos used with permission from Shutterstock.

Figure 9

(A) The ratio of facial height to bigonial width (R5): 1.61 in males, 1.64 in females (p-value = 0.163). (B) The ratio of total facial height to mid facial height (R10): 2.97 in males, 2.90 in females (p-value = 0.297). Photos used with permission from Shutterstock.

Figure 10

The mean facial contours of the male (blue) and female (pink) black celebrities. The subnasale is demonstrated by the blue circle in the center. Abbreviations: Tr, trichion; HL, hairline; Zy, zygoma; Gn, gonion; Mn, menton; p, point; Sn, subnasale.