How to Fix Facial Asymmetry
If an uneven feature disappears when you retake the photo under different conditions, start by fixing the photo. If the same area still looks uneven across those photos, check whether you also notice it in person before deciding what needs assessment. This is a first check for a longstanding appearance concern. See the photo conditions guide.
If one side of your face suddenly droops or feels weak, call 911 in the U.S. right away. Don't wait to retake a photo or see whether it goes away. American Stroke Association
Watch the decision explained
English transcript
If one side of your face suddenly droops or feels weak, call nine one one in the United States. For a longstanding difference you notice in photos, start with a retake. If the difference disappears, start by fixing the photo. If the same area still looks uneven, check whether you also notice it in person.
We recorded thirty-seven attempts across two separate setups. Two front-facing photos of one person scored ninety-eight point six and ninety-six point one. All six attempts with turned photos were refused and returned no score. Those attempts cannot tell us what fraction of facial asymmetry comes from photography.
On a separate portrait, a flat rotation raised the total while the nose reading fell. Ten unchanged-file uploads repeated all six displayed values. Those repeat readings describe the file and the display precision. They cannot tell you what to treat.
If you notice a persistent change in your bite or chewing, start with a dental exam. For a change in facial movement, tell a clinician when it began and when you notice it. The guide links to the original records and explains the next steps.
What our 37 attempts can tell you before you try a fix
The recorded spread is enough to make us cautious about treating something seen only in a photo. It cannot tell us what fraction of anyone’s asymmetry comes from photography. We had no independent anatomical measurements and did not label any photo as a true or false case. The 37 attempts include repeat uploads across two separate setups.
| Our records | What happened | What to do with it |
|---|---|---|
| October 21, 2026 · 12 camera attempts | Two front-facing photos of the same participant scored 98.6 and 96.1 overall, three times each. The other two photos were turned and returned no score on all six attempts. | A 2.5-point difference between two photos does not show what changed physically. Six refusals out of 12 attempts is a count for these inputs, not a rate of photo artifacts. |
| October 26, 2026 · 15 prepared-file uploads | With a separate public portrait, the baseline scored 98.0. Flat image rotation scored 98.1 while the Nose field fell from 98.2 to 97.8. Both sets of readings repeated three times. | The pictured face stayed fixed. An edit alone was enough to move the total and a feature reading in opposite directions. Avoid selecting a fix based on the lowest number in one file. |
| October 26, 2026 · 10 unchanged-file uploads | The total and all five feature readings repeated. For each field, the maximum displayed score minus the minimum was 0.0. | The same file gave the same displayed result in this run. A repeatable reading still cannot identify a physical cause or prescribe a fix. |
The turned inputs all returned: “Your head appears turned. Use a photo facing straight toward the camera.” The near and far photographs did not isolate distance. They were separately captured, and lens settings and camera height were not recorded.
Read the individual runs, all six output fields, timestamps and exact refusals in the camera records, prepared-file records and unchanged-file records.
What to change if the difference persists
| What you notice | A practical next step |
|---|---|
| You usually chew on one side | If you avoid the other side because it hurts, your teeth meet differently or your jaw is hard to move, describe that to a dentist. A bite or jaw exam can help distinguish those problems. Our tests did not evaluate switching chewing sides as a correction. |
| Your posture or sleep position seems related | Note whether the difference appears in a particular pose or persists when you sit comfortably facing forward. Mention persistent discomfort or movement changes during an assessment. Our records contain no posture, sleep or exercise intervention, so they offer no basis for a face-reshaping routine. |
| Your bite feels uneven or has changed | Start with a dentist or orthodontist. When the issue is tooth alignment, orthodontic treatment may address the bite. A jaw-bone discrepancy may need assessment by an oral and maxillofacial surgeon. Which route fits depends on the exam and what you want to improve. |
| Your smile or facial movement has changed over time | Tell a clinician when it started, whether it is getting worse and whether it shows at rest or only when you move. A persistent movement difference needs a different assessment from an uneven bite. Sudden facial weakness or droop is an emergency. |
Treatment should address the structure or function identified in an exam. A dental plan, for example, can aim to improve how the teeth meet without promising a perfectly even face. Ask what the proposed treatment can change and how that change will be evaluated. Penn Medicine · AAOMS corrective jaw surgery guidance
If the difference has been stable and your concern is cosmetic, you can decide whether it bothers you enough to seek an assessment. A useful first question is “What would this treatment change?” A score from a selfie is not a treatment target.