What Is the Place of the Golden Ratio (GoldenMean, Divine Proportion) in Aesthetic Surgery?

It is not known exactly when the golden ratio, which has existed in mathematics and nature since time immemorial, was discovered and began to be used by humans. Euclid (365 B.C. – 300 B.C.) called dividing a line in the ratio 1.6180 division in extreme and mean ratio. In ancient Greece the golden ratio was used in many architectural structures, above all the Parthenon. The ancient Egyptians used both the pi and phi ratios when building the Pyramid of Cheops, which is among the seven wonders of the world. Among the sketches in Leonardo da Vinci's notebooks, the Vitruvian Man (1492), a study showing the proportions of the human body as part of his work relating and integrating man and nature, stands out. In addition, in his work depicting the last supper Jesus ate with his apostles, Leonardo da Vinci paid attention to the golden ratio in many different places, from the size of the table to the wall and windows behind. Leonardo Fibonacci (Leonardo of Pisa) revealed a link between mathematics, nature and art. The Fibonacci numbers (continuing as 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, 233 …) develop by the sum of two consecutive numbers in the series forming the number that follows them. The sum of two consecutive numbers in this sequence gradually approaches the Golden Ratio as the numbers grow.

So what is this golden ratio, known or used since such early years of history? In its simplest definition, a line should be divided at such a point that the ratio of the short part to the long part is equal to the ratio of the long part to the sum of the parts (that is, the length of the line before it was divided). In geometry the golden ratio is 1.618, or the reciprocal of 0.618. To understand the golden ratio more clearly geometrically as well, let us divide a square into two equal parts exactly down the middle. Let us draw a circle whose centre is the common corner of the rectangles, with the diagonal of the resulting rectangle as its radius. Then let us extend the base of the square until it intersects the circle we have drawn. When we complete the new shape into a rectangle, we obtain a new rectangle next to the square. The ratio of the base length of this rectangle (B) to the length of the square (A) (the height of the rectangle) is the Golden Ratio. Likewise, the ratio of the base length of the square (A) to the base length of the large rectangle (C) is also the Golden Ratio. Since the ratio of the long side of the resulting rectangle to its short side is the golden ratio, this rectangle is a Golden Rectangle. The interesting thing is that when we remove the first square from this golden rectangle, the remaining rectangle is also a golden rectangle.

If, inside each square of this Golden Rectangle from which we have removed squares again and again, we draw an arc of a circle whose radius is the side length of that square, we obtain a Golden Spiral. The Golden Spiral forms the shape and building block of many living and non-living things. As an example we can give the sunflower plant. The seeds of the sunflower are arranged so as to form a spiral that follows the golden ratio. In addition, the side lengths of these squares give the Fibonacci numbers in sequence.

Although beauty differs according to societies and eras, when people perceived as beautiful by society in general (such as models and actors) are examined, it is seen that these people's facial and body proportions also conform to the golden ratio. This is because people perceive beauty at a limbic level. And in order to perceive beauty, the limbic system requires proportions compatible with the Golden Ratio. Our limbic system perceives everything that conforms to this wonderful ratio as beauty, harmony and balance. The closer people's proportions are to these norms, the more they are perceived as beautiful by society in general. What is meant here is not the result of a single measurement, but all proportions being in harmony with one another.