Sabrina Juran

The impact of geographic, ethnic, and demographic dynamics on the perception of beauty.

BackgroundBeauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, but influenced by the individual’s geographic, ethnic, and demographic background and characteristics. In plastic surgery, objective measurements are used as a foundation for aesthetic evaluations. This study assumes interdependence between variables such as country of residence, sex, age, occupation, and aesthetic perception. MethodsComputerized images of a model’s face were generated with the ability to alter nasal characteristics and the projection of the lips and chin. A survey containing these modifiable images was sent to more than 13,000 plastic surgeons and laypeople in 50 different countries, who were able to virtually create a face that they felt to be the aesthetically “ideal” and most pleasing. Demographic information about the interviewees was obtained. ResultsValues of various aesthetic parameters of the nose were described along with their relationship to geography, demography, and occupation of the respondents. Interregional and ethnic comparison revealed that variables of country of residence, ethnicity, occupation (general public vs surgeon), and sex correlate along a 3-way dimension with the ideal projection of the lips and the chin. Significant interaction effects were found between variables of country of residence or ethnicity with occupation and sex of the respondents. ConclusionsWhat are considered the “ideal” aesthetics of the face are highly dependent on the individual’s cultural and ethnic background and cannot simply and solely be defined by numeric values and divine proportions. As confirmed with this study, ethnic, demographic, and occupational factors impact peoples’ perception of beauty significantly.

Aesthetic Breast Shape Preferences Among Plastic Surgeons

BackgroundThere has been little discussion in the plastic surgery literature regarding breast shape preferences among plastic surgeons, despite strong evidence that such aesthetic preferences are influenced by multiple factors. Much effort has been focused on delineating the objective criteria by which an “attractive” breast might be defined. This study aimed at providing a better understanding of the presence and significance of differences in personal aesthetic perception, and how these relate to a plastic surgeon’s demographic, ethnic, and cultural background, as well as practice type (academic vs private). MethodsAn interactive online survey was designed. Modifiable ranges of upper pole fullness and areola size were achieved via digital alteration, enabling participants to interactively change the shape of a model’s breasts. The questionnaire was translated into multiple languages and sent to plastic surgeons worldwide. Demographic data were also collected. Analysis of variance was used to elucidate plastic surgeon’s breast shape preferences in respect to sex and age, geographic and ethnic background, as well as practice type. ResultsThe authors gathered 614 responses from 29 different countries. Significant differences regarding preferences for upper pole fullness, areola size in the natural breast, and areola size in the augmented breast were identified across surgeons from the different countries. Further, significant relationships regarding breast shape preferences were distilled between the age and sex of the surgeon, as well as the practice type. No differences were found in respect to the surgeons’ self-reported ethnic background. ConclusionsCountry of residence, age, and practice type significantly impact breast shape preferences of plastic surgeons. These findings have implications for both patients seeking and surgeons performing cosmetic and reconstructive breast surgery. In an increasingly global environment, cultural differences and international variability must be considered when defining and publishing new techniques and aesthetic outcomes. When both the plastic surgeon and the patient are able to adequately and effectively communicate their preferences regarding the shape and relations of the breast, they will be more successful at achieving satisfying results.

The Ideal Buttock Size: A Sociodemographic Morphometric Evaluation

Background: Perception of beauty is influenced by geographic, ethnic, cultural, and demographic factors. However, objective measurements remain the foundation for aesthetic evaluations. In the quest to better define the “ideal” female buttock, this study assumes interdependence among variables such as country of residence, sex, age, occupation, and aesthetic perception, yielding a waist-to-hip ratio that appears most pleasing across most cultures and geographic locations. Methods: An online survey was designed. Modifiable ranges of buttock sizes were achieved by means of digital alteration, enabling participants to interactively change the size and waist-to-hip ratio of a single model’s buttocks. The questionnaire was translated into multiple languages and sent to more than 9000 plastic surgeons and to the general public worldwide. Demographic data were collected, and analysis of variance was used to elucidate buttock shape preferences. Results: A total of 1032 responses were gathered from over 40 different countries. Significant differences regarding preferences for buttock size were identified across the respondents. Overall, 404 of 1032 of survey takers (39 percent) chose the 0.7 waist-to-hip ratio to be their ideal. Significant relationships were distilled between sex, age, self-reported ethnicity, plastic surgeons’ country of residence, and ethnic background. For example, surgeons in Latin America preferred the largest buttocks, followed by surgeons in Asia, North America, and Europe, with non-Caucasians preferring larger buttocks than Caucasians. Conclusion: There seems to exist a global consensus regarding the ideal waist-to-hip ratio; however, multiple other factors impact the aesthetic perception of the buttocks significantly.

The Role of Plastic Surgeons in Advancing Global Development.

I n September 2015, the international community came together to agree on the Sustainable Development Goals. These 17 goals are part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, a plan of action for people, the planet, and prosperity. Ambitious and far-reaching as they are, they are built on three keystones: the elimination of extreme poverty, fighting climate change, and a commitment to fighting injustice and inequality. In that context, there is an increasing need to acknowledge the linkage between universal delivery of and access to safe and affordable surgical care, global health and development. Critical to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals is the global realization of access to safe affordable surgical and anesthesia care when needed. As a community of care providers dedicated to the restoration of the form and function of the human body, plastics surgeons have a collective opportunity to contribute to global development, making the world more equitable and helping to reduce extreme poverty. In 2008, Drs. Paul Farmer and JimKim identified surgery as the “neglected stepchild of global health” referring to the relative underfunding and lack of priority accorded surgical care. The landmark report by the Lancet Commission on Global Surgery “Global Surgery 2030: Evidence and Solutions for Achieving Health, Welfare and Economic Development” estimated that between 28% and 32% of the global burden of disease is amenable to surgical treatment. However, as many as 5 billion people of a total world population of 7.4 billion lack access to safe, timely, and affordable surgical care, a burden felt most severely in lowandmiddle-income countries (LMICs). Untreated, these conditions cause premature mortality and are a source of lifetime disability—surgical conditions claim an estimated 16.9 million lives per year. The Lancet Commission estimates that an additional 143 million surgeries would be necessary every year to save lives and prevent disability from surgical conditions. Building surgical capacity is not just important for preventing morbidity and mortality—lack of access to surgery impedes human freedoms and impacts global development and economic growth. Without the growth of surgical systems, LMICs are estimated to sacrifice up to 2% of annual gross domestic product growth by 2030. These losses correspond to 12.3 trillion USDollars (USD) of lost economic output in LMICs alone. Even when surgical care is available, it may not be financially accessible to the entire population: 33 million individuals face catastrophic expenditure due to the direct medical costs of surgery and anesthesia each year, with an additional 48 million facing catastrophic expenditure due to nonmedical costs, such as travel. This burden falls most heavily on the poorest people in LMICs. The myth of surgery as a luxury for the rich has been dispelled: it is a right for all, and a cost-effective means of treating disease. As a treatment modality, surgery demonstrates cost-effectiveness on par with other interventions, such as vaccinations and bed nets for malaria prevention. This holds true for plastic surgery, and, in particular, cleft lip and palate repair: the cost-effectiveness of this intervention is a mere US

The 2010 round of population and housing censuses (2005-2014) 1

47.74 (2012 US

Geospatial mapping of access to timely essential surgery in sub-Saharan Africa

) per disability-adjusted life year averted.

The potential of population and housing censuses for international migrant analysis1

In most countries, a population and housing census is the principal source of data on the number, distribution and characteristics of a population. They further provide information on the underlying phenomena of social and economic characteristics of the population within a country and may represent the primary data source for identifying certain social, demographic and economic exclusions and constraints for small geographical areas or sub-populations. Ideally every ten years, countries conduct a population and housing census – a complex exercise for every nation, that may require taking decisions on enumeration methods, emerging information technology, publicity, privacy and confidentiality, quality control, data collection, processing, analysis, imputation, data dissemination, archiving, evaluations of coverage and quality, etc. This article identifies the main characteristics of censuses and the challenges and successes faced by the countries under the 2010 World Program of Population and Housing Censuses of the United Nations (spanning the years 2005 to 2014) and highlights trends and considerations as planning has started for the 2020 World Program on Population and Housing Censuses; covering the years 2015 to 2024.

Abstract: Lip Attractiveness

Introduction Despite an estimated one-third of the global burden of disease being surgical, only limited estimates of accessibility to surgical treatment in sub-Saharan Africa exist and these remain spatially undefined. Geographical metrics of access to major hospitals were estimated based on travel time. Estimates were then used to assess need for surgery at country level. Methods Major district and regional hospitals were assumed to have capability to perform bellwether procedures. Geographical locations of hospitals in relation to the population in the 47 sub-Saharan countries were combined with spatial ancillary data on roads, elevation, land use or land cover to estimate travel-time metrics of 30 min, 1 hour and 2 hours. Hospital catchment was defined as population residing in areas less than 2 hours of travel time to the next major hospital. Travel-time metrics were combined with fine-scale population maps to define burden of surgery at hospital catchment level. Results Overall, the majority of the population (92.5%) in sub-Saharan Africa reside in areas within 2 hours of a major hospital catchment defined based on spatially defined travel times. The burden of surgery in all-age population was 257.8 million to 294.7 million people and was highest in high-population density countries and lowest in sparsely populated or smaller countries. The estimated burden in children <15 years was 115.3 million to 131.8 million and had similar spatial distribution to the all-age pattern. Conclusion The study provides an assessment of accessibility and burden of surgical disease in sub-Saharan Africa. Yet given the optimistic assumption of adequare surgical capability of major hospitals, the true burden of surgical disease is expected to be much greater. In-depth health facility assessments are needed to define infrastructure, personnel and medicine supply for delivering timely and safe affordable surgery to further inform the analysis.

Safe and sustainable: the extracranial approach toward frontoethmoidal meningoencephalocele repair.

International migration is of major relevance for the development of countries of origin, transit and destination. While the proportion of the world population who live outside their countries of birth has stayed relatively stable over time, the absolute number of international migrants reached 244 million in 2015. International migration has been recognized as a driver of development in both countries of origin and destination, and in turn, patterns of global development both strongly impact, and are impacted by, migration. Data sources to inform the issue of international migration include decennial population and housing censuses, population registers, civil registration and other administrative data, residence permits and various household surveys. While providing a valuable source of data on international migration, censuses are sometimes conducted infrequently or the data from census are not fully released, or remain under-analyzed. This paper reports on the availability of migration data from all national population censuses by countries that participated in the 2010 census round, and highlights the potential of these data for the generation of migration profiles and analysis on the character of international migration especially within the context of monitoring and reporting the sustainable development goals.

A Profile of Germany's Refugee Populations

INTRODUCTION: Perception of beauty is influenced by the individual’s geographic, ethnic, cultural, and demographic background. However, objective measurements remain the foundation for aesthetic evaluations. In the quest for to better define “ideal” lip characteristics, this study assumes interdependence between variables such as country of residence, sex, age, occupation, and aesthetic perception.