It is believed that almost everyone has a level of facial asymmetry which may even be considered attractive. However, some people’s asymmetrical faces are more apparent. A face with features that do not mirror each other may affect facial attractiveness. Asymmetrical facial features whether uneven eyebrows, cheeks fuller than another, a cheek tilted to one side or uneven ear sizes may be a cause for concern.
There are several explanations for asymmetrical faces which may range from mild to serious underlying issues. However, an asymmetrical face can be corrected through surgical procedures and a wide range of non-surgical procedures.
What is an asymmetrical face?
According to an article published in the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery for the Clinician, an asymmetrical face can be defined as a facial configuration resulting from abnormalities of the soft or hard tissues of the face and further leading to facial disproportionality. In other words, this means that one side of the face does not exactly match the other in proportion, and this disproportionality might be slight or very noticeable.
What does it mean if your face is asymmetrical?
Asymmetry, an antonym of symmetry, simply means unequal or uneven. This is to say that when your face is asymmetrical, the features of the left side do not exactly match those on the right side. Almost everyone has some degree of facial asymmetry. However, some incidences of asymmetry are more glaring than others. So, how can you test if your face is asymmetrical or not?
To do this asymmetrical face test, the following steps can be easily followed:
- Print out a photo of yourself taken at a good angle.
- Then you can take a ruler and measure if your face is even on both sides.
- After doing this, you can easily determine the evenness. If it is not even, then you have an asymmetrical face.
Asides from this method, other methods like the use of applications such as Facial Symmetry Pro can help give you more accurate results.
Causes of an asymmetrical face
A number of factors can cause slight or glaring facial disproportionality. Some of these are:
- Dental Work
Dental work refers to a wide range of procedures performed on teeth and surrounding tissues to fix problems or keep things running smoothly. Sadly, this could cause facial asymmetry.
According to a 2014 research into the method through which dental work causes the asymmetrical face, it was concluded that facial asymmetry is strongly linked to exogenous factors, including sleeping position, tooth extractions, dentures, and smoking.
Dental works such as dentures and veneers disrupt the normal facial configuration as they affect how the facial muscles appear.
- Smoking
Smoking is another proven cause of asymmetrical face, following the above research. Toxins are released from whatever is being smoked. These toxins can cause vascular problems in the face. Problems include dimming one of the eyes while the other remains the same.
This can be avoided by sticking to healthy life choices.
- Genetics
Genetics, the transfer of traits from parents to offspring, is another factor to be considered in determining the cause of asymmetrical faces. In the same way, you could have full hair or nice dimples like your mum, or your dad’s amazing height, that is the same way some not-so-nice traits could be transferred.
Some genetic health conditions that could lead to asymmetric face include vascular disorder and cleft lip and palate. They are hereditary and interfere with facial symmetry as they move from generation to generation.
- Ageing
Ageing is the leading cause of most health issues; asides from the dropping of the skin which comes with it, organs gradually begin to fail and malfunction.
In the case of the asymmetrical face, the onset of wrinkles, fine lines, and other dropping facial features, which, unfortunately, are never evenly distributed, leads to this lack of symmetry.
Aside from the dropping facial features, old age also comes with continuous cartilage growth. Although the bones cease developing at puberty, the cartilage grows as one age. This means the ears and nose develop and change as a person grows older, thereby leading to asymmetry from uneven face cheeks and uneven face fat.
- Sun damage
The effects of sun damage on facial asymmetry go in hand with ageing. As one age, the collagen content of the skin reduces, leading to the development of frequent spots, patches, and moles on the skin. You may be wondering how these can be classified as facial asymmetry. This is because the distribution of spots, patches, and moles on any part of the body, including the face, is never even, just as the distribution of the sun spots on the face is not even.
- Wry neck ( torticollis)
Torticollis or wry neck is a condition where the neck is painfully twisted or tilted to one side. It is an abnormal positioning of the neck muscle causing the head to tilt to one side and the chin to tilt in the opposite direction.
Torticollis may occur due to certain abnormalities during pregnancy. If the baby’s head is wrongly positioned when in the womb, it may cause facial asymmetry when the child is eventually born. Injury to the neck muscle or nervous system can also cause torticollis. Wry neck is often a temporary condition that can be easily corrected with therapy and medication if the treatment commences earlier. The more chronic wry neck may require surgery
- Stroke
Sudden facial asymmetry may be an early sign of stroke. As such, once you notice an uneven smile on your face or facial drooping along with some other signs such as limb weakness, you should seek immediate medical attention.
- Bell’s palsy
Your asymmetrical face may be a sign of a greater condition called bell’s palsy. Bell palsy facial asymmetry is a temporary facial paralysis that causes the muscle in one side of the face to be less or unable to move. Bell’s palsy may be triggered by viral diseases, stress or pregnancy aftermath.
Can you fix an asymmetrical face?
Asymmetrical faces can be fixed. However bad your facial asymmetry may be or ‘impossible’ to fix. The two major ways to get rid of the asymmetrical face are:
- Non-surgical asymmetrical face procedures including cheek sculpting, facial exercises and eyelid tape.
- Asymmetrical face surgery, including fat transfer, facelift procedures, soft-tissue adjustment, lipo-dermal grafts, customised implants, correction of the craniofacial architecture, or modification of nerve and muscle function.
How to fix an asymmetrical face without surgery
It is possible to fix an asymmetrical face without undergoing surgery. Here are some of the tested, trusted, and approved ways to get rid of facial asymmetry without surgery.
Facial Sculpting
Facial sculpting is a specialised procedure that DR Nina Bal uses to correct asymmetrical faces. It is a specialised treatment package that involves different types of treatments such as chin sculpting, cheek sculpting, and non-surgical rhinoplasty.
This treatment package works well in cases of facial asymmetry caused by visible uneven brow, one cheek fuller than the other and bell’s palsy.
The first stage of this procedure is a consultation where DR Nina will use the Golden Ratio formula and other professional judgement to examine your face in order to determine the suitable treatment.
- Cheek sculpting
Cheek sculpting is the process whereby dermal fillers and Botulinum Toxin A injections are administered into the cheekbones. It gives an immediate even facial definition and natural appearance. It also lifts the entire face by smoothing the nose-to-mouth lines. This procedure can effectively correct mild facial asymmetry. Injection of botox can also restore facial muscle function in the case of Bell’s palsy.
This treatment can only be executed by specialists like DR Nina Bal who can use Pediatric 32 gauge needles, one of the smallest needles available in the market, which cause minimal pain.
Individual responses and metabolism differ greatly, but the result of this procedure can last between 6 to 12 months.
- Chin sculpting
Chin sculpting is another non-surgical procedure for asymmetrical faces. It works by balancing facial features and modifying the contour of the face. To make this work, Dr Nina will inject hyaluronic acid into the skin to produce volume and chin definition. The results of this procedure last between one to five years, depending on individual factors
- Non-surgical rhinoplasty
If your facial asymmetry stems from your nose is broken or not in the right place, non-surgical rhinoplasty is the treatment procedure you need to make your nose appear more symmetrical. Hence, it is also referred to as Nose sculpting.
The non-surgical nose sculpting is a win-win for those looking for alternatives to rhinoplasty that don’t include surgery because it’s not permanent and the results are more predictable. And you can finish it in under 45 minutes!
The rhinoplasty result is long-term; however, more treatment can improve results.
- Brow lift
A brow lift may be a suitable procedure if your asymmetrical face is caused by uneven eyebrows. A brow lift is a non-surgical procedure that tightens the skin on the upper part of the face and raises low eyebrows. The affected eyebrow can be lifted to correspond with the other brow by injecting botox or PDO thread into the affected area. It results in even eyebrows with natural shapes and improved facial appearance.
Orthodontics
As mentioned earlier, dental works and teeth configuration are major causes of asymmetrical faces. Orthodontics is the treatment of irregularities in the teeth and jaws, which could significantly contribute to this asymmetry.
Orthodontics makes use of specific treatments to address these asymmetric-causing dental issues. For instance, if a small upper jaw causes asymmetry, a palatal expander, which employs high-grade metal bands, can carefully expand the upper palate to create the desired symmetry.
Facial asymmetry surgery
- Fat transfer
This minimally invasive surgical procedure involves transferring fat onerom from one part of the body to the other. In the case of facial asymmetry, this procedure can be employed in transferring and reconfiguring fat from other parts of the body to the areas of the face that need adjustment. This is usually the procedure employed in asymmetrical-face celebrities
- Oculoplastic surgery
This is another surgical procedure employed for an asymmetrical face, although this treatment is specific for the eyes. It corrects the eyelid shape, functions, and aesthetics, which may have caused the asymmetry.
How to fix asymmetrical face naturally
It is one thing to fix an asymmetrical face non-surgically and another to fix it naturally.
- Facial exercise (yoga)
It is no longer news that collagen is responsible for skin elasticity, and the more collagen the collagen content of our skin, the more symmetrical and youthful our face becomes.
Facial exercise or yoga helps your body to increase and stimulate the natural production of collagen. Also, facial exercise strengthens the muscles in your face, so you get firmer muscles. If you religiously practice yoga, you might get a natural facelift by tightening your muscles and lifting your facial features into place.
How to hide an asymmetrical face
In a case whereby you cannot afford to undergo any of the above-stated asymmetric face treatment options, the asymmetry can be hidden with any of the below-listed techniques:
- Use of makeup and specific hairdos
You can use makeup and a hairstyle to hide your asymmetrical face. If you want to use makeup to hide your asymmetrical face, you should expose the part of your face you are most proud of and hide the rest with proper contouring.
- Specific hairstyles
In addition to hiding asymmetry with makeup, hairdos can contribute greatly to this effect. For instance, side parts cover asymmetry in the nose, eyes, or lips. Also, fringes can help hide asymmetry in the forehead.
Does sleeping on one side of your face cause asymmetry?
Yes, sleeping on one side of your face can cause asymmetry or contribute to the existing one. Sleeping on one side causes a noticeable flattening of the face on that side and a less symmetrical appearance overall. Changing your sleeping position regularly can help you avoid developing sleep asymmetry.
Final words
Although asymmetrical faces can prove difficult to tackle, at Facial Sculpting, we provide solutions to your facial problems with no side effects.
