| Goldstein
SM, Katowitz JA.
Department of Ophthalmology, University
of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
USA.
PURPOSE: To study and quantify the topographic
anatomy of the male eyebrow and its 3-dimensional relation,
based on age and location, relative to the eye and
the supraorbital rim.
METHODS: A prospective cohort of male patients
seen for routine ophthalmic evaluation age 10 years and older
had several eyebrow measurements incorporated in the examination.
The presence or absence of brow ptosis was noted on the basis
of observation. The location of the eyebrow relative to the
center of the pupil, the lateral canthus, and the depth of
the supraorbital rim was measured. The data were subjected
to statistical analysis.
RESULTS: The study included 444 eyebrows
of 222 patients ranging in age from 10
to 86 years, with a mean age of 46.75 years. The incidence
of brow ptosis was
7.4%. The mean distance between the lateral canthus and inferior
brow (LIBD) was
11.23 mm. The mean distance between the pupil and the inferior
brow and the
superior brow border was 11.15 mm (PIBD) and 19.8 mm (PSBD),
respectively.
Statistical analysis demonstrated that the mean brow position
did not vary with
age. However, there was a significant negative correlation
between the position
of the eyebrow and the depth of the superior sulcus below
the supraorbital rim
(correlation coefficient, 0.431 for PIBD and depth and 0.381
for LIBD and depth,
respectively). Deeper-set eyes had lower brow position.
CONCLUSIONS: The male eyebrow sits along
the supraorbital ridge and has a flat contour. In men without
frank brow ptosis, the eyebrow position relative to the pupil
and the lateral canthus does not significantly fall with age
despite the periocular changes associated with aging. However,
3-dimensional analysis demonstrates that
individuals with deep-set eyes have a lower positioned eyebrow
then those with a
more shallow depth below the supraorbital rim. These findings
are helpful in
surgical management of the eyelid-eyebrow continuum. The age-related
changes in
the eyebrow area should be thought of as a 3-dimensional construct
with collapse
of the structure and not simply descent of the eyebrow.
Ophthal Plast
Reconstr Surg. 2005 Jul;21(4):285-91.
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