Face Symmetry Test / How to fix an asymmetrical face
How to fix an asymmetrical face
Most asymmetrical faces need no fixing, and the ones that do are fixed by a dentist or a doctor, not by exercises. What you can change at home is how even your face looks. Start by measuring your face symmetry, so you know which feature to work on.
Step 1: find out what is uneven
"My face is asymmetrical" can mean a higher eyebrow, a crooked smile or a jaw that sits to one side. Each has a different fix. So name the feature before you try anything.
- Take a photo facing a window, phone at eye level, an arm's length away. Relax your face.
- Upload it to the face symmetry test. It places 68 landmarks and scores seven pairs: eyes, eyebrows, ears, nose, mouth, upper cheeks and lower cheeks.
- Note the lowest pair score. That is the feature to work on.
- Take a second photo and test again. If the lowest pair changes between photos, the camera angle or light caused it, not your face.
Step 4 matters more than it looks. A phone held close makes the near side bigger. Light from one side darkens that half. A head turned a few degrees narrows one cheek. Many people who think their face is lopsided are looking at a lopsided photo.
What you can change today, for free
These do not change your face. They change where the eye goes, and that is most of what people see.
| If this differs | What evens it out |
|---|---|
| Eyebrows at different heights | Shape or fill the lower brow so both arches sit at the same height. Brow pencil, gel or a brow artist. |
| One eye smaller or lower | Thicker liner and mascara on the smaller eye, lighter on the larger one. Glasses with a strong top rim hide a lot. |
| Crooked smile or uneven lips | Line the lower side of the lip a touch outside its edge. In photos, a closed-mouth smile shows less difference. |
| One cheek fuller | Contour under the fuller cheekbone, highlight the flatter one. A side parting that falls over the fuller side. |
| Jaw or chin off centre | A beard trimmed fuller on the narrow side. For long hair, length below the jaw softens the line. |
| Nose that leans | A straight highlight down the true centre of the face, not down the nose itself. |
Photos are the other free fix. Everyone has a better side. Turn that side slightly toward the camera, keep the light in front of you and hold the phone a little above eye level. Compare a few shots in the symmetry test and you will see which angle scores higher.
Do face exercises fix an asymmetrical face?
No good evidence says they do. Face yoga, jaw trainers and "asymmetry routines" are sold as a fix, but the research behind facial exercise is thin and is about ageing, not asymmetry. The best known study, a small one in JAMA Dermatology in 2018, found fuller upper and lower cheeks in middle-aged women after 20 weeks of daily exercise. It did not measure symmetry, and it had no control group.
The honest summary: exercising one side will not move bone, and a healthy face muscle is not the cause of most asymmetry. The exception is a face weakened by Bell's palsy or a stroke. There, exercises guided by a physiotherapist are part of standard care and do help.
Mewing, chewing on one side and sleeping position
- Mewing (pressing the tongue to the roof of the mouth) has no published trial showing it reshapes an adult face. Tongue posture can matter in children whose jaws are still growing, which is a question for an orthodontist.
- Chewing on the other side is often suggested. If you always chew on one side because of a painful or missing tooth, fix the tooth. That is worth doing for its own sake.
- Sleeping on your back instead of one side is free and harmless. It may slow creases on that side over the years. It will not even out bone or teeth.
Medical treatments that do fix asymmetry
When the difference is in bone, teeth or a large muscle, treatment works. Here is what each one changes.
| Treatment | What it fixes | How long it lasts | Who does it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Braces or aligners | A bite that pulls the chin or smile to one side | Permanent with a retainer | Orthodontist |
| Jaw surgery | A jaw that grew longer on one side | Permanent | Maxillofacial surgeon, with an orthodontist |
| Replacing missing teeth | A cheek or lip that sank where a tooth was lost | Years | Dentist |
| Muscle-relaxing injections | A larger chewing muscle on one side, or an uneven brow or smile | About 3 to 6 months | Doctor or dentist trained in injections |
| Dermal fillers | A flatter cheek, temple, lip or chin on one side | Months to about a year | Doctor or nurse prescriber |
| Nose, brow or eyelid surgery | A crooked nose, a lower brow or a drooping eyelid | Permanent | Plastic or oculoplastic surgeon |
A good first stop for a jaw or bite question is your dentist, who can refer you to an orthodontist. For soft tissue, look for a registered doctor and ask to see before and after photos of their own patients. Bring two symmetry test results from different photos. They show the clinician which feature you mean.
When not to fix it, and when to see a doctor now
If the difference shows only in some photos, or only you notice it, leave it alone. Mild asymmetry is normal, and a review in the Dental Press Journal of Orthodontics describes it in faces that look perfectly balanced. Read more on why faces are asymmetrical.
A sudden change is different. If one side of your face droops, goes numb or will not move, call emergency services. It can be a stroke, and minutes count. Bell's palsy looks similar and also needs a doctor the same day. No exercise, filler or app is the answer there.
References
- Thiesen G, Gribel BF, Freitas MPM. Facial asymmetry: a current review. Dental Press Journal of Orthodontics, 2015. PMC4686752
- Alam M, et al. Association of facial exercise with the appearance of aging. JAMA Dermatology, 2018. doi:10.1001/jamadermatol.2017.5142
- NHS. Bell's palsy. nhs.uk
- NHS. Stroke symptoms. nhs.uk