Facial asymmetry is a common phenomenon that most people are afflicted with, and although it’s not an urgent medical issue, it can certainly make people feel very self-conscious about their appearance. While both sides of the face aren’t always in perfect alignment with one another and each person is born with unique physical features that set them apart from other people, noticeable differences between the halves of face can be bothersome to the individual. Fortunately, the world of plastic surgery is constantly evolving and facial asymmetry correction is possible. Keep reading to learn all about the different surgical and non-surgical procedures that can help you achieve facial balance.
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What Is Considered Facial Asymmetry?
As mentioned, any discernible difference or misalignment in your facial features counts as facial asymmetry. It’s typically classified as the two sides of your face being misaligned or uneven to some degree. In some people, it’s more pronounced than in others and this can be problematic for a lot of plastic surgery patients. Even if the difference is very minimal, it can seem monumental to you when you look in the mirror. Elements of facial asymmetry can include the position, size, and shape of your various features. From an uneven jawline to differently shaped cheekbones, a crooked nose, or even if one eye is smaller than the other. Although all of these distinct facial features make up your appearance, they don’t necessarily coincide with society’s normative standards of beauty or physical attractiveness for either men or women.
That’s why many patients choose to undergo facial surgery to correct these issues. Of course, the reasoning isn’t always cosmetic; there are also some medical benefits to wanting to achieve facial symmetry.
Is Facial Asymmetry Normal?
Yes, it’s perfectly normal for one side of your face to be slightly different or asymmetrical from the other. It’s a fact of life that no one will ever have a perfectly symmetrical face. Even the most state-of-the-art cosmetic procedures can’t accomplish that. The most you can hope to achieve through a surgical or non-surgical facial plastic surgery procedure is to improve the overall alignment of your face and make it look more even than it was before. As with everything else in life, there are never any guarantees and you should be extremely suspicious of any plastic surgeon that makes bold promises of helping you achieve perfect alignment.
Whether you have sun damage or a few extra wrinkles on one side of your face that simply don’t exist on the other, these imperfections can easily be corrected through simple non-surgical and minimally invasive procedures such as dermal fillers.
How Can Facial Asymmetry Be Corrected?
There are a number of surgical and non-surgical options when it comes to correcting facial asymmetry. The type of procedure you go with typically depends on what your surgeon recommends based on your specific desires and situation. Surgical treatments include the following:
Rhinoplasty
Rhinoplasty, which is colloquially known as a nose job, corrects any structural and aesthetic imperfections your nose may have. From a crooked nose to a deviated septum, or even if you simply don’t like the shape and size of your nose, rhinoplasty is the solution to contouring and creating perfect symmetry in the central appendage of your face.
Forehead and Brow Lift
Sometimes you can have an uneven number of wrinkles or blemishes on either side of your face or your eyebrows might not be exactly the same shape. A forehead and brow lift can help create facial symmetry by smoothing out any worry lines you may have developed over time and reconfiguring the shape of your brows to make them more uniform so that they suit your face better.
Cheek and Chin Augmentation
Cheek and chin augmentation don’t just work well together, but they’re also both great supplementary procedures for other forms of facial plastic surgery mentioned here. Oftentimes, patients will undergo these procedures in conjunction with otoplasty (ear pinning), rhinoplasty, or even a forehead and brow lift. Having these procedures done at the same time can create stunning and noticeable facial harmony.
Face and Neck Lift
Face and neck lifts can do so much more than just even out your skin tone. They can also remove excess fat cells and allow your plastic surgeon to contour your different facial features and eliminate the look of tired eyes and sagging skin. Getting regular face lifts will also help keep your face looking younger by removing dead skin cells to unveil the newer and more vibrant skin underneath.
Of course, surgery isn’t necessarily the right choice for everyone and it’s also not the only solution. Whether you simply don’t like the idea of going under the knife or you have a medical condition that prevents you from being able to do so, there are alternative non-surgical treatments available to you. These include:
Dermal Fillers
Dermal fillers like Botox and Juvederm are popular non-surgical treatment options that a lot of patients choose over surgery because they’re simple, affordable, and can be performed in brief 15 to 20-minute sessions. Not only do dermal fillers plump up your face to make it look more voluminous, youthful, and radiant, but they’re also temporary solutions which means you have more freedom to decide whether you want to continue with a certain look or change it up.
Fat Grafting
Fat grafting has dual benefits in the sense that the material used for this simple and affordable procedure is fat taken from your own body. This lowers the risk of you suffering any adverse or allergic reactions. Another bonus is that the recovery period is minimal and the results are noticeable but not overt, which means no one will ever know that you’ve had any work done unless you choose to tell them.
Dr. Andres Gantous at Toronto Facial Plastic Surgery takes great pride in helping his patients achieve their ultimate goals when it comes to their appearances. That’s why he specializes specifically in facial plastic surgery and has mastered the craft of artfully reconstructing his patients’ facial features in a discreet, professional, and results-driven manner. To learn more about the different types of plastic surgery that correct facial asymmetry, schedule a consultation at our clinic in Toronto!