The area of the face that we want to tell you about is quite interesting for acquaintance. Many touching legends are associated with the labial grooves. Physiognomy refers to them character traits, in the world there are "golden" standards for their length, and beauties dream of changing their shapes in order to achieve ideal face proportions. Let's look at the groove from all these sides.
What is it?
Tray, labial grooves - vertical grooves on the skin between the nasal septum and the upper half of the lip. Philtrum (Latin name) is found not only with you, but also in many mammals.
As for humans and most primates (except for wet-nosed ones), the labial grooves here will be rudiments - residual organs that no longer play an important role in life, but were of great importance in the previous development.
The role of the groove for humans and mammals
How is it important? In a person at 2-3 months of fetal development, it is in the area of the labial groove that parts of the face converge.
For wet-nosed mammals, its value is preserved during life. This groove in them acts as a filtrum - a narrow gap through which moisture from the mouth enters the surface of the nose due to capillarity. A moist nasal surface is very important for the animal - this helps to better determine the nature of odors, the location of their source.
Related pathologies
As we noted, in humans at the embryonic stage of development in the womb, Philtrum is the focus of the formation of facial features.
Are there people without a lip groove? Yes, these are children born with the so-called "cleft lip". The syndrome is a consequence of the fact that in the maternal womb parts of the face of the embryo are connected incorrectly, abnormally.
A flattened (or smoothed) labial groove is a sign of two congenital developmental pathologies:
- Prader-Willi Syndrome. Hereditary disease caused by the absence of a copy of one of the paternal chromosomes. The child has low growth, strabismus, a tendency to obesity, small feet and hands, scoliosis, increased fatigue, low bone density and so on.
- Fetal alcohol syndrome. Deviations in the mental, physical development of the child associated with the use of alcohol by the mother during pregnancy.
Why is there a groove under our nose?
The anatomical rationale we know. But the legend gives a rather touching interpretation.
Before the baby’s soul goes to our world to appear as a man, an angel puts a finger on the baby’s lips. And he immediately forgets who he is. Therefore, we do not remember where we came from to this world. And between the nose and lip we still have a hollow from the touch of an angel.
Physiognomy
If modern anatomy and medicine does not particularly emphasize the importance of Philtrum, then the attention of Chinese physiognomists to it, on the contrary, is great. They believe that he stores valuable information about the owner’s health, his life expectancy, family problems and joys, and social status. In the analysis of the labial groove, great attention is paid to its length, symmetry, boundaries and depth.
Let's get acquainted with some interesting information:
- A long and deep groove, also covered with hairy vegetation, is the most favorable symbol for a man. This means that its owner is smart, has excellent health, and quickly steps up the career ladder. A successful marriage awaits him, a large and friendly family. It is believed that the groove protects from misfortunes, makes life easier and calmer.
- The long and deep Philtrum with a mustache in women, by contrast, is a bad symbol. It is considered a sign of failure in life. Chinese physiognomists, in principle, consider the woman’s vegetation above her upper lip a negative factor.
- The flat short groove without a mustache in a man, according to this discipline, is an indicator that a person is not particularly smart, career advancement is difficult for him. It is believed that he will have an unsuccessful or childless marriage. In addition, in physiognomy it is an indicator of poor health.
- Much attention is given to the skin tone at the bottom of the groove. If it is dark, it means that the person is not safe from an accident, a sudden serious illness.
- The parallel edges of the groove are a sign of organizational talent. It is believed that the owner quickly reaches serious posts, promotions.
- If the groove is wide from above, but narrow from below (inverted triangle), then the structure speaks of a sparkling, successful beginning of life, but of a lonely and sad old age.
- Philtrum resembles a triangle - narrow at the top and expanding downward. It indicates that the owner will gradually accumulate knowledge and skills all his life. His old age is calm and secure.
- But the chamfered edges of the groove indicate that the owner involuntarily becomes the cause of problems and misfortunes of his loved ones.
Perfect proportions
Beauticians today revealed the ideal proportions of Philtrum:
- Length in women: 20 +/- 2 mm.
- Length in men: 22 +/- 2 mm.
- A groove of more than 25 mm is already considered long, disproportionate.
- The "golden" angle between the groove and the nose in women: 95-100 degrees.
- The "golden" angle between the groove and the nose in men: 90-95 degrees.
Why do the operation on the groove?
Of course, in the case of the cleft lip, the correction of the zone is vital for the child. But most adults go to the plastic of the labial groove more for aesthetic purposes. It is believed that exceeding the standards of Philtrum makes the whole face long, elongated, gives it a dull expression. And such an effect can persist even if a person has an average nose, forehead, and general proportions.
Another advantage of the operation to reduce the labial groove is that it allows you to change the shape, size of the facial features around it:
- Correction of the so-called nasolabial angle. In other words, the operation allows you to raise the tip of the nose.
- Correction of the shape of the upper lip. This feature attracts girls and women who dream of chubby lips. What does the operation give? If a person has a thin and flat upper lip, then such plastic, thanks to the raising of the groove, gives it the desired additional volume.
- The narrowing of the nasal wings. Another effect that correction helps to achieve. Due to hidden sinus incisions, it is possible to narrow the wings of the nose, to make the shape of the lower part of the olfactory organ more beautiful.
Today, this correction is quite simple - it is performed in modern clinics in an hour, does not require placement in a hospital. Anesthesia is local and general. Leaving after surgery on the labial groove is neither long nor complicated. The patient is fully restored on the 7th day. Then the seams are removed to him.
The labial groove is essentially a useless rudiment for humans. But legends are associated with it, a large section of physiognomy. Many people go to his correction in order to achieve perfect, symmetrical facial features. The peculiarity of the operation is that, together with the length of the groove, it allows you to adjust the width of the nose, the volume of the upper lip.