A web-based method for rating facial attractiveness.
OBJECTIVE
To determine if facial attractiveness scores from a novel Internet-based facial attractiveness rating method correlate with those from the traditional focus group rating method, and whether this method can be an alternative for rating and evaluating facial attractiveness.


METHODS
Basic research study.


METHODS
Eighty facial portraits were posted on a commercial Internet-based facial rating website to obtain facial attractiveness scores. These scores were correlated and compared with traditional focus group scores.


RESULTS
In 21 days an average sample size of 857 raters were recruited and the attractiveness scores reached a stable mean on the Web. There was a strong correlation (0.90) and attractiveness score quartile match between the Internet-based and traditional focus group scores, with the most attractive and unattractive faces having the highest correlation and quartile match. The inter-rater variability of the Internet-based method was low (P = .82).


CONCLUSIONS
The Internet-based method can be an effective alternative to the traditional live focus group method of evaluating facial attractiveness. It also has five main advantages: 1) profoundly increases rater count; 2) increases rate of data accrual and analysis; 3) results are reproducible; 4) eliminates logistical and monetary obstacles; and 5) enables the experimenter to sweep broad demographics, acquire background data from raters, and locate raters with specific expertise.
Devcic
Zlatko
Z
Division of Facial Plastic Surgery, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California, USA.
Karimi
Koohyar
K
Popenko
Natalie
N
Wong
Brian J F
BJ
D001504:Beauty; D003625:Data Collection; D004954:Esthetics; D005145:Face; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D020407:Internet; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures