Impact of Facial Regions on Perceived Age: A 3D Modeling Study.

BACKGROUND: Perception studies in aesthetic plastic surgery help define ideals of attractiveness and youth that guide treatment planning. While comprehensive facial rejuvenation yields superior and longer-lasting results, real-world constraints often require prioritizing interventions. The relative contribution of different facial regions to perceived age remains unclear.
OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to determine the relative contributions of the perioral, periocular, midface-lower face, and neck-jawline regions to perceived youth.
METHODS: An aged female 3D head-and-neck model was digitally sculpted to create one baseline young model and four variants, each featuring isolated rejuvenation of a single region: eyes, lips, midface-lower face, or neck-jawline. Region-specific changes simulated outcomes of common aesthetic surgical procedures while preserving overall identity. Each variant was rendered as a standardized animated sequence. Participants viewed all animations and ranked them from youngest to oldest. Associations between regions and perceived age were statistically analyzed.
RESULTS: A total of 101 participants completed the survey. The neck-jawline was most frequently ranked as youngest (n = 54), while the perioral was most often ranked as oldest (n = 71). Mean ranks differed significantly among regions (neck-jawline 1.8, midface-lower face 2.2, periocular 2.6, perioral 3.6; P < .001). Pairwise comparisons were significant, except between periocular and midface-lower face (P = 0.4).
CONCLUSIONS: The neck-jawline exerted the greatest influence on perceived youth, followed by midface-lower face, periocular regions, and perioral region. These findings suggest that structural cues defining facial contour play a dominant role in age perception and may help guide prioritization of facial rejuvenation strategies.