Can mathematics be applied to aesthetic medicine? Certainly. The golden ratio (also called the golden section, golden number or divine proportion), equal to 1.618, is one of the oldest mathematical constants and has been linked to countless fields.
It is the mathematical expression of beauty in nature. From the infinitely small to the infinitely large, from the snail in the undergrowth to spiral galaxies with billions of stars, everything seems governed by precise mathematical proportions, and the golden ratio gives the observer a sense of harmonious balance.
The golden ratio, also known as “Phi”, was once believed to underlie all of Creation. The Greeks made the first explicit reference to it, although it already appears in the proportions of ancient Egyptian architecture, such as the Great Pyramid of Giza. It was rediscovered in the Middle Ages and studied by Fibonacci, Leonardo da Vinci, Kepler and the German mathematician Ohm, although the first to spread knowledge of it was the friar Luca Pacioli. Mathematically it is an irrational number, approximately 1.61803398875…
Since ancient times the golden ratio has been the basis of works of architecture, sculpture and painting. It also appears in many aspects of the human body and of nature, in flowers, plants, waves and galaxies, and is closely linked to the Fibonacci sequence, named after one of the most brilliant mathematicians in history.
Many studies show the importance of correct proportions in the face. Applying mathematics to aesthetic medicine makes it possible to bring the face as close as possible to the golden ratio, making it more proportioned, symmetrical and therefore more attractive. The face alone contains about twenty golden proportions; not all of them can always be respected, but aesthetic medicine can help.
A photograph of the patient is taken and the mask of a special program is overlaid on it. Where the golden ratio is not respected, volumes can be adjusted with hyaluronic acid, or the strength of the facial muscles can be modulated with botulinum toxin. Some examples:
