2. The Artistry of Plastic Surgery
Nature’s paradigm for survival relies to a great extent on the concept of beauty. Ultimately, evolution requires successful survival of a species, animal or plant, through nature’s own rules of beauty: harmony, balance, and symmetry. An overarching study of beauty lends itself to the philosophical comprehension of aesthetics—a field dedicated to the art and understanding of beauty and good taste. Thus the study of beauty through scientific methods is an effort toward explaining aesthetics.
Aesthetics and its Association
Often refers to the study and philosophy of beauty and taste
Origin from Greek word, aisthetikos, implying “sensitive, relating to perception of the sense,” which in turn derives from aisthánomai, implying “I sense and feel.”
The field of aesthetics—thus our understanding of beauty—changes in each stage of human civilization and evolution.
What is acceptable as the “ideal” beauty has evolved.
Classical female beauty is much different from the “cover girl” concepts of beauty of the modern world, which influence aesthetic medicine.
Aesthetic medicine comprises several disciplines whose goal is to improve the cosmetic appearance of patients.
The rise of aesthetic medicine and surgery in modern times has an increasing relationship to the science of aesthetic medicine and the safety of invasive and noninvasive procedures.
Social acceptance of aesthetic procedures continues to evolve among the sexes and various cultures.
Clinical and psychological studies have shown an overall sense of well-being of patients who seek aesthetic procedures. 1 – 3
Beauty and Its Concepts
Ancient Concepts in Beauty
Symbols of ancient beauty can be found in early civilizations such as Egypt and Troy and are unavoidable when we study Western beauty.
Arguably, some modern concepts of beauty were influenced by what we think was considered beautiful in ancient Egypt.
Two most powerful and ubiquitous symbols of Western beauty originate from two queens of antiquity: Cleopatra and Nefertiti.
Cleopatra has been known as the paragon of beauty, ever since Roman conquest of Egypt.
Nefertiti’s emergence came after her painted bust was discovered in 1912.
She was the little-known wife of Pharaoh Akhenaten.
The logo for the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) is Nefertiti (Fig. 2-1).
Ancient Egyptians provided vast information indicating that both sexes went to great lengths to improve their appearance.
Based on ubiquitous beauty products left by ancient Egyptians in burial and around mummies
Use of kohl as eye makeup in ancient Egypt perhaps gave rise to the smoky eye makeup worn today.
Kohl, a mineral base composed of lead, may have antibacterial properties.
Perhaps the use of kohl by both sexes was to reduce glare from the sun, thus providing not only a function, but also beauty.
The symbolism of beauty perhaps is even more powerful than the subject itself, even when we consider “beauty” in ancient terms.
Plutarch (ancient Greek philosopher) described Cleopatra as having a strong voice and vivacity, and not necessarily beauty.
On ancient coins, Cleopatra is depicted as having a big nose, protruding chin, and wrinkled face—hardly what one would call beautiful in any era.
Yet we have decided that “Cleopatra” represents a powerful message for beauty.
Ancient Greeks described what we know as earliest Western theories of beauty:
Pre-Socratic philosophers such as Pythagorus offered concepts of beauty in mathematical terms.
Pythagoreans saw an innate connection between beauty and mathematics.
They noted that the “golden ratio” embodied proportions considered to be beautiful.
Early Greek architecture relied on establishing symmetry and proportion, thereby evoking harmony and beauty, and Aristotle saw that the goal of virtue was to obtain beauty.
Euclid, a Greek mathematician, recorded in his treatise, Elements, the definition of golden ratio:
He described cutting a line “in extreme and mean ratio”—what we now call the golden ratio.
Golden Ratio
Also known as the golden mean or golden proportion
Mathematically, two quantities are in the golden ratio if their ratio is the same as the ratio of their sum to the larger of the two quantities.
In algebra, for any numbers a and b with a>b>0, the golden ratio is:
(a + b)/a = a/b = ϕ
The golden ratio can be geometrically described using the golden rectangle, and thus is easier to understand (Fig. 2-2).
In decimal system, the golden ratio is represented by 1.6180339887498948482 …
Mark Barr, a twentieth-century mathematician, proposed ϕ to designate the golden mean, based on Greek sculptor Phidias, who is credited as having built the Parthenon.
The platonic solids (cube, tetrahedron, octahedron, dodecahedron, and icosahedron) have some correlation to the golden ratio.
Fibonacci numbers also reflect and are intimately connected with the golden ratio
Fibonacci, also known as Leonardo of Pisa, was an Italian mathematician, who in 1202 in his book Liber Abaci introduced the number sequence named after him.
The Fibonacci numbers are integers in the following sequence, known as the Fibonacci sequence:
0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144 …
These numbers are defined by the following recurrence relation:
Fn = Fn− 1 + Fn−2
Besides use in theoretical mathematics, Fibonacci numbers, in conjunction with golden ratio, are extremely popular and have been used in various fields, including art, music, sculpture, and architecture.
Fibonacci sequences appear in nature (Fig. 2-3):
Leaf arrangement on a stem
Pineapple fruitlets
Artichoke flowering
Pine cone arrangement
Luca Pacioli, Italian mathematician of Renaissance period and a colleague of Leonardo da Vinci, explored the mathematics of golden ratio as it related to art.
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