Why Is My Face Asymmetrical? (And How to Fix It)

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Natural and medical solutions for a face that's fuller on one side
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If you’ve ever looked in a mirror and felt like one side of your face is slightly fatter than the other, you may have facial asymmetry. This is an ultra-common condition where your face is naturally lopsided in some way. In this article, we’ll break down why this probably isn’t a big deal, what causes facial asymmetry, and what you can do to fix it if you wish to (the options are surprisingly varied and easy to do!).

Why Is One Side of My Face Bigger?

If one side of your face is larger than the other, this is likely just natural facial asymmetry. An asymmetrical face is normally caused by genetics, although repetitive facial movements, dental issues, and injury can also lead to facial asymmetry. It’s also normal for your face to become more asymmetrical with age.

Section 1 of 6:

Causes of Facial Asymmetry

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  1. Your genes are the main source for the shape of your body and the composition of your facial features. If you’ve always had an asymmetrical face and/or your family members have asymmetrical faces, this is likely due to genetic factors. [1]
  2. 2
    Aging The human face goes through a lot of changes as it ages. Gravity pulls down on your skin, the skin itself loses its elasticity, and things like wrinkles and crow’s feet start to develop. All of these things can make your face appear less symmetrical. Sun damage can also change the appearance of your skin over time and lead to even more asymmetry. [2]
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  3. 3
    Dental issues If you don’t have a perfectly even bite (which most people don’t), the muscles in your jaw will develop at different rates. Crooked or missing teeth will also change the way your mouth’s muscles compensate. Beyond that, dental conditions like TMJ or chronic teeth grinding can impact the way the muscles and tendons in your face develop, causing asymmetry. [3]
    • This is actually part of why you get braces when you’re a teenager, if you need them. Addressing any dental imbalances early prevents your facial muscles from developing unevenly. [4]
  4. 4
    Injury Any kind of trauma or facial injury can cause facial asymmetry, especially if you break a bone or experience serious muscle damage. Medical injuries can also cause facial asymmetry. For example, many people who experience facial paralysis due to viral infection or nerve damage never end up fully recovering all of their muscle function, which can cause asymmetry. [5]
  5. 5
    Repetitive facial expressions If the facial expressions you make on a regular basis aren’t perfectly symmetrical, this can eventually create some asymmetry. This might sound like it wouldn’t apply to you, but the vast majority of people don’t actually make symmetrical facial expressions. [6] So, if you have a habit of making a half-smile, raising only one eyebrow, or smirking with one side of your face, this could definitely affect you.
  6. 6
    Medical conditions Conditions like Bell’s palsy, stroke, or allergic reactions can cause your face to become asymmetrical. If you suspect that a medical condition is triggering your facial asymmetry, see a doctor right away to get the issue sorted out. [7]
  7. 7
    Sleep position There isn’t a lot of great evidence to suggest that sleeping on one side of your body will impact the shape of your face, but a lot of people have reported this as a factor impacting their facial asymmetry. [8] The logic behind this makes sense; if repeated facial expressions are proven to cause facial asymmetry, it’s understandable that repeated pressure from a pillow could cause the same thing.
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Section 2 of 6:

Is facial asymmetry normal?

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  1. Yes, almost nobody has a completely symmetrical face. The vast majority of people do not have a symmetrical face. In fact, studies have found that only 2% of the human population possesses facial symmetry. [9] Whether it’s a slightly crooked nose, eyebrows that don’t match, or a minor bump in your cheek, most people just don’t have faces that look completely the same on each side. [10]
    • Slight asymmetry is also known medically as relative symmetry. It’s considered completely normal and often goes entirely unnoticed by other people. [11]
    • You are most likely to notice facial asymmetry when you smile. This is because you’re activating your facial muscles, which can make the asymmetry more obvious. [12]
Section 3 of 6:

Should I see a doctor for my facial asymmetry?

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  1. If the asymmetry appeared suddenly, see a doctor. If you’ve always had an asymmetrical face or you’re just noticing that you have very minor asymmetry that’s probably always been there, it’s no big deal. However, if you wake up one day and one cheek is randomly puffier, or one side of your face is drooping, you need to see a doctor immediately. There are a variety of medical issues that could cause this type of sudden facial asymmetry, so you must investigate the source of the problem right away. [13]
    • Potential issues that cause sudden facial asymmetry include Bell’s palsy, stroke, tumor, allergies, autoimmune conditions, infections, or hormonal problems. [14]
    • Facial asymmetry is medically classified in three distinct ways: [15]
      • Congenital asymmetry: This kind of asymmetry develops in the womb.
      • Developmental asymmetry: This asymmetry appears in childhood or early adulthood as you grow up and your body changes.
      • Acquired asymmetry: You get this kind of asymmetry from a disease or injury.
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Section 4 of 6:

How to Test If You Have an Asymmetrical Face

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  1. Most asymmetries are so subtle and difficult to spot that it’s hard to find actual asymmetries with the naked eye. Your best bet is to use an online face symmetry test or a face symmetry app and upload a photo of yourself. These apps will let you know if your face is symmetrical or not, and if it’s not, they’ll point out where the asymmetries are.
    • Don’t let these apps trick you into feeling bad! Almost everybody has facial asymmetry, and if yours is so hard to see that you need to use an app to identify it, chances are that nobody else notices it! Don’t get down in the dumps about your face not being absolutely perfect.
Section 5 of 6:

Natural Fixes for Facial Asymmetry

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  1. 1
    Makeup If you want to mask the visual impact of an asymmetrical facial feature, there are plenty of makeup options. For example, if your eyes are uneven, you can use an eyebrow pencil and a concealer to lift your arch and soften the shadows around your eyes. [16]
    • If you have a slanted nose, you can use a cream contour to draw a straight line from the bridge of your nose to the tip. Smooth it out, and you’ll give your nose a straighter appearance .
    • For uneven lips, use a pencil to accent the edges of your lips and give them a more evenly defined appearance .
    • If your jaw is uneven, contour your cheeks with foundation, concealer, and blush to redirect the eye away from your jaw.
  2. 2
    Massage therapy Reach out to a local bodyworker and explain that you’re looking to resolve your facial asymmetry naturally. They’ll be able to massage your facial muscles to smooth out any tenderness and improve your facial symmetry. Alternatively, you can do natural exercises on your own to help strengthen your facial muscles and improve any unevenness. [17]
    • You might try eyebrow raises to strengthen your arch and brow. This can give your eyes a rounder, more symmetrical appearance.
    • Try flexing your cheeks repeatedly while smiling wide with your lips closed. These cheek lifts will help improve the shape of your cheeks and lips.
    • You might give mewing a shot if you want to improve the shape of your jaw.
  3. 3
    Posture adjustments You might be surprised to learn that your posture actually has a really big impact on your facial symmetry. Not only does poor posture give the appearance of more asymmetry, but it also causes you to adjust the tilt of your head in a way where your face may eventually become asymmetrical. Fix your posture to prevent any asymmetry issues from developing later on. [18]
    • When you’re sitting, keep your back straight with a slight arch in your lower lumbar. Keep your feet planted flat on the ground and maintain a straight neck. Adjust any computer or TV screens so that you can see while looking straight ahead.
    • When standing, keep your center of gravity directly underneath your head. Maintain a slight arch in your lower back and keep your shoulders up and comfortably relaxed.
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Section 6 of 6:

Medical Interventions for Facial Asymmetry

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  1. If a misaligned bite, missing teeth, or uneven teeth are the source of your facial asymmetry, addressing the underlying problem should help alleviate any temporary asymmetry caused by overworking the muscles on one side of your face. See a dentist to get an examination and explore your options. [19]
  2. 2
    Dermal fillers If your asymmetry is caused by sagging skin, laugh lines, or smile lines, dermal fillers are a great way to address these issues. A plastic surgeon, doctor, or other licensed medical professional will insert synthetic fat into the areas where your skin is sagging to give you more volume. The result is often a more symmetrical, youthful appearance. [20]
    • Dermal fillers break down over time, so you’ll usually need to get them reinserted every 2-5 years or so.
    • Expect to spend $400-2,500 on dermal fillers, depending on how many you need.
  3. 3
    Botox Instead of adding volume with dermal fillers, you might prefer reducing volume by tightening your skin to get a more symmetrical look. Botox works by blocking the chemical signals in nerves that cause muscles to contract. This helps reduce frown lines and wrinkles while giving any inflamed muscles time to heal. It’s a popular and non-invasive way to reduce facial asymmetry. [21]
    • Most Botox users go back for additional shots every 3-6 months to refresh the effects.
    • Expect to pay $300-600 on each Botox treatment.
  4. For cases of extreme asymmetry, or if your asymmetry is causing you severe mental distress, see a plastic surgeon and ask about what they can do to give you a more symmetrical face. There are so many safe and effective treatment options for an uneven facial feature. Just keep in mind that recovery times for these surgeries can take 3-12 months, since they’re more invasive medical procedures. You might ask about: [22]
    • Rhinoplasty. This procedure will reshape your nose and give it a new structure and shape. This is one of the most common plastic surgeries, but it does have a very long recovery time.
    • Facelift. This procedure tightens the skin in the lower â…” of your face to give you a more youthful look. Facelifts are a phenomenal option if you also want to get rid of wrinkles.
    • Brow lift. The brow lift tightens the skin in the top â…“ of your face. It’s a great option for sagging skin or uneven eyes.
    • Cheek lift. Cheek lifts raise the soft tissue inside of your cheek to give you more voluminous and even cheeks.
    • Facial fat transfer. Facial fat transfers involve taking fat from part of your body and injecting it in another part of your body (in this case, the face). If you’ve ever heard of Brazilian butt lift (BBL) , it’s basically the same procedure, but for your face.
    • Cheek implants. Cheek implants are basically a more intense version of dermal fillers, where a doctor fills your cheeks with synthetic fat to add volume.
    • Buccal fat removal. If you want a more sculpted look, buccal fat removal will take out the excess fat surrounding your more definable features.
    • Blepharoplasty. This eyelid surgery removes excess skin that causes eye asymmetry from puffy skin, drooping, bags, or lazy eyes.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4686752/
      2. ↑ https://dermalinstitute.com/article/structural-changes-associated-with-skin-aging-skin/
      3. ↑ https://thomasorthodontics.com/can-braces-help-make-my-face-more-symmetrical/
      4. ↑ https://thomasorthodontics.com/can-braces-help-make-my-face-more-symmetrical/
      5. ↑ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2995977/
      6. ↑ https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352587822000833
      7. ↑ https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/Cleft-Craniofacial/Pages/Children-with-Facial-Asymmetry.aspx
      8. ↑ https://www.self.com/story/sleeping-on-side-facial-asymmetry-explainer
      9. ↑ https://e-aaps.org/journal/view.php?number=807
      1. ↑ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4686752/
      2. ↑ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4686752/
      3. ↑ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4686752/
      4. ↑ https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/facial-swelling
      5. ↑ https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/facial-swelling
      6. ↑ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10719165/
      7. ↑ https://www.makeup.com/makeup-tutorials/makeup-tutorials/correct-facial-asymmetry-with-makeup
      8. ↑ https://beautybydrcat.com/blog/understanding-facial-asymmetry-non-surgical-and-surgical-methods-to-enhance-symmetry/
      9. ↑ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7970570/
      10. ↑ https://www.parkwaydentistry.ca/teeth-and-facial-asymmetry/
      11. ↑ https://www.med.unc.edu/ent/facialnervecenter/treatments/fillers-for-facial-paralysis/
      12. ↑ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23444480/
      13. ↑ https://www.drjeremyhunt.com.au/blogs/facial-asymmetry-problems-what-are-your-options-for-a-lopsided-face/

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