The Impact of Breast Symmetry on Eye Movement and Gaze Pattern: An Eye-Tracking Investigation.

BACKGROUND The objective assessment of beauty is challenging and subject to current research efforts. Recently, a new means of objectively determining the aesthetic appeal of body features has been investigated by analyzing gaze patterns and eye movements. OBJECTIVES The objective of this study was to assess differences in observers' gaze patterns presented with standardized 3-dimensional images with different degrees of breast asymmetry using objective eye-tracking technology. METHODS A total of 83 Caucasian study participants with a mean age of 38.60 (19.8) years were presented with 5 images depicting varying degrees of breast symmetry. In addition to the assessment of eye movements, participants were asked to rate the aesthetic appeal and the asymmetry of the breasts on a 5-point Likert scale. RESULTS Overall, the data show that participants rating of the breasts' aesthetic appeal was inversely related to the level of asymmetry. Time until fixation was shortest for the image depicting the greatest breast asymmetry (50 cc) with 0.77 (0.7), p <0.001. In addition, the mammary region was also viewed longest in this image with 3.76 (0.5) seconds, p < 0.001. A volume difference of 35 cc between breasts deflected the observers' gaze significantly toward the larger of the asymmetrical breasts, p<0.001. CONCLUSIONS Surgeons should focus on symmetrical breast volume (ie, differences < 35 cc between breasts) to avoid noticeable asymmetry with regard to breast size.