Reasons why one half of the face is larger than the other
Many people complain that one side of their face is different from the other. This becomes noticeable when carefully examining yourself in the mirror or in unsuccessful photographs. Some, noticing that their cheeks are different, begin to “sound the alarm” fearing that they are sick.
In fact, slight asymmetry is present in absolutely every person. This is what makes our face alive, unique and inimitable.
To make sure that each person is not symmetrical, you can take several photos of your friends and cut them into two equal parts along the line of the nose in a photo editor. Now one of the right halves is “mirrored” and connected to the other, and we do the same with the left parts. Take such photographs of several people, and you will see that the faces of the right and left halves of the same person are very different.
However, different halves of the face are not always the norm. Let's look at what factors can lead to pathological changes.
Reasons why one side of the face looks very different from the other:
- Improper development of bones and joints, as well as connective or muscle tissue. Such problems can be more or less pronounced, they can only be corrected with proper makeup or plastic surgery.
- Inflammation of the cheek can also lead to its enlargement. After eliminating the problem, the face acquires normal contours.
- Severe strabismus can also develop facial asymmetry. The same applies to torticollis.
- Facial muscles can become severely distorted when nerves become pinched or die. This problem often occurs with strokes and heart attacks.
- An incorrect bite or missing teeth on one side can lead to facial asymmetry. Flux can also cause a similar problem.
- A fracture of the facial bones that did not heal properly.
- The habit of chewing, sleeping or squinting to one side is the most common cause of facial asymmetry.
There are many reasons. Some of them can be avoided by taking timely treatment and controlling your facial expressions.
Correction of facial asymmetry
If flaws in the form of asymmetry suddenly appear in your face, this is not yet a reason to radically change your appearance. You can just use cosmetics and place the accents correctly. In this case, you need to use foundation and correctors. They can be oily or dry. In addition, she uses highlighter in her work. It is needed to visually hide wrinkles or highlight the necessary part.
The asymmetry of the eyes will not be so noticeable if they are not outlined with bright eyeliner. It is better to have tones close in color on hand, to make a soft transition from one color to another. Pencils with a contrasting color will also come in handy. On the inside of the eye, which we want to visually enlarge, it would be good to apply a lighter tone. On the eyelid of the second eye we apply an almost invisible line of dark color.
If the eyes, in your opinion, are still asymmetrical, then you need to place emphasis on the eyelashes and eyebrows. Eyebrows need to be given the perfect shape and arch. Latisse can enhance your eyelashes. A brown pencil can always highlight light eyebrows. And if you pluck an eyebrow that is higher than the other and draw on the eyebrow line with a pencil, your face will take on a completely different expression.
You need to have foundation creams on hand to be able to visually change the shape of your nose. The golden rule: a dark tone is applied to those places that need to be hidden or visually reduced. A lighter tone is used to highlight certain parts of the nose. To make the nose look good, you need to draw a line along the nose in a tone that is darker than natural. And leave a light light highlight on the wings of the nose and its tip.
A contour pencil helps give the lips the desired shape. And then the lips visually lose their asymmetry. You can correct your cheekbones with regular blush. To do this, you need two half-tone blushes that are close in color. They are applied along the cheekbone line, and their heights are different.
One side of the face is larger than the other: normal or pathological
If you notice that the sides of your face are different, first of all, you need to determine whether it is pathological or normal. To do this, you need to know the symptoms of the pathology.
If there is facial asymmetry, parchment skin may be present. This symptom is associated with a genetic disease.
Asymmetry, which is considered normal, should not be too obvious. If this is a normal facial structure, then the difference is noticeable only upon careful examination.
Symptoms of abnormal facial asymmetry:
- The affected side is swollen and the tissue may be hard;
- The corners of the mouth and cheek on the affected side are drooping and drooping;
- The affected half of the face loses mobility;
- The folds on the forehead and nose suddenly smooth out sharply;
- The eye on the affected side becomes narrower, or, conversely, larger;
- The eyes, nose and lips on the affected side lose mobility;
- There are speech disorders;
- The affected part is painful.
Even one of these signs suggests that asymmetry is the result of a serious problem. In this case, it needs to be treated.
Why do such violations occur?
Most often, such defects are the result of age-related changes. Over time, the amount of collagen in human subcutaneous tissues decreases, as well as the intensity of its production. And the long and strong fibers that this protein forms serve as a kind of frame that secures the soft tissues of the face. It is this “reinforcing” collagen network that allows our skin to remain smooth and elastic, successfully resisting gravity. Accordingly, with age-related collagen deficiency, wrinkles appear more and more often, and soft tissue sagging occurs.
Often, another reason for large and sagging cheeks is excess body weight. The cheeks and chin are the so-called fat depots of our body, places where deposits accumulate especially intensively. Finally, enlargement and sagging of the cheeks can occur due to facial swelling. This disorder is a symptom of various diseases of the renal and cardiovascular systems.
How to align different halves of the face
If you have identified the fact that the face has significant differences on both sides due to some kind of disease, then to determine the cause, you need to visit a doctor. The specialist will prescribe tests for you, perform an examination and advise the correct treatment.
Asymmetry can occur as a result of drug use. In this case, the face often becomes gray.
To determine the cause of pathological facial asymmetry, you need to visit a doctor. In fact, you may need a number of specialists, but it is best to visit your doctor first.
In this case, you will not waste a lot of time visiting unnecessary medical professionals. The specialist will make a list of doctors you need to visit.
What doctors may be needed for asymmetry:
- Neuropathologist;
- Ophthalmologist;
- Surgeon;
- Orthodontist;
- Dentist.
Once the cause of your illness is discovered, you can undergo treatment and return everything to normal. However, in some cases, additional plastic surgery may be required after treatment.
Surgical methods of correction
The best answer to the question of how to correct large cheeks and the situation where one cheek is larger than the other is plastic surgery. The operation in this case is called chicklifting. Specialists at the SM-Plastic clinic perform it in two ways: traditional and minimally invasive.
The first, traditional option involves access to the soft tissues of the cheek through conventional surgical incisions in the lower eyelid area. Today, 90% of such operations in our medical center are performed using minimally invasive techniques. In this case, all manipulations are carried out through several small punctures of the skin, which significantly shortens the postoperative period. SM-Plastic surgeons often combine surgery to lift sagging cheeks with liposuction (removal of excess fat tissue). In addition, with plastic surgery, you can simultaneously adjust their shape and size using lipofilling. This is especially true if one cheek is larger than the other and it is necessary to achieve symmetry.
The duration of such interventions ranges from 1.5 to 3 hours, and they are performed under both general and local anesthesia - it all depends on the volume of correction.
Gymnastics to restore symmetry or how facial muscles work
Facial muscles are constantly working. However, if this occurs unevenly, asymmetry may occur. This problem also often appears with age. If this is not associated with the presence of serious diseases, then the problem can be eliminated with the help of gymnastics.
Exercises to eliminate facial asymmetry:
- The palms hold the muscles and skin of the forehead, while the eyebrows rise as much as possible up and down;
- We open our eyes as wide as possible and hold this for three counts, relaxing our eyes;
- We inflate our cheeks as much as possible, count to three and retract them, again counting to three;
- We inflate and deflate the cheeks one by one;
- Smile from the top of your mouth without showing your teeth, and then form your lips into a tube;
- We move the jaw forward, left and right.
We perform each exercise ten times. If done regularly, exercise will give the first results within a month.
Dental problems
Dentists never tire of repeating that the loss of a tooth, and especially several, is also a serious aesthetic problem.
The connection between a full set of teeth and a beautiful oval face is the most direct. After tooth extraction, the bone partitions from which the tooth socket was formed gradually dissolve, and a dent forms on the jaw. At the same time, the jaw is deformed, slightly decreasing in height and diameter. This leads to tension in small facial muscles and the formation of new wrinkles or the deepening of old ones. If several teeth are missing in the lower jaw, the angle of its location may change, and the soft tissues of the face may shift, forming wrinkles and creases.
Symptoms of illness
Depending on the cause, symptoms may vary from case to case. More often with edema, the following symptoms appear:
- swelling on the cheek;
- pain in the causative area;
- difficulties in controlling facial expressions;
- inflammation of the mucous membrane.
It is important to monitor swelling. If it increases, medical attention is required. Reasons to urgently consult a doctor also include increased body temperature, general weakness, purulent discharge from the gums, loss of appetite, numbness and sagging cheeks.
Eye asymmetry in a child: causes
The causes of ocular asymmetry in children are practically no different from the causes of pathology in adults . The most common of them include:
- kidney disease - in this case, the outflow of fluids from tissues is disrupted, swelling is formed, which often leads to similar problems;
- injuries, for example, as a result of playing sports;
- eye infections;
- disorders of the brain.
You should definitely contact your pediatrician in the following cases::
- if the defect occurred unexpectedly against the background of the child’s complete health;
- if, in addition to the difference between the eyes, the child experiences additional symptoms in the form of pain, itching or burning;
- if the difference between the eyes is large enough, or if the eye practically does not open.
Habit of chewing on one side
Most often, this is again a consequence of the loss of a tooth (or teeth). We chew on one side of our mouth because there is simply nothing to chew on the other. As a result, the facial muscles on the one hand, not receiving the proper load, weaken, while on the other they become hypertonic. Overstrained muscles literally pull on facial tissues, creating creases and visible asymmetry. It should be noted that the risk of developing an aesthetic defect is especially high if you like chewing gum. In this case, the chewing muscles experience uneven load for a long time.
Diseases
The cause of acquired asymmetry can be various diseases. “First of all, dysfunction of the facial nerve,” says Irina Ivanova. — With this disease, weakness of the facial muscles develops, the corner of the mouth droops, the upper eyelid droops, the palpebral fissure becomes wider, the nasolabial folds smooth out, and the face on the affected side acquires a pained expression.
According to experts, you can encounter the problem of facial asymmetry at any age. But over time, unfortunately, it becomes more and more noticeable. Simply due to the fact that bad habits live with us longer. “However, do not despair,” says Irina Ivanova. — Asymmetry, as a rule, can be corrected.
First of all, it is necessary to eliminate the causes: contact a neurologist, dentist, or orthodontist. There is physiotherapy, gymnastics for facial muscles, massage. To correct violations of proportions and volumes, cosmetologists use contour plastic surgery. Botulinum therapy is also used successfully. In the most severe cases, surgical correction is possible.”
Gymnastics for facial asymmetry
All people's faces are asymmetrical, it's no secret. With the help of exercises, you can partially smooth out facial asymmetry. Asymmetry is visible in the lines of the eyebrows, the level of the cheekbones and nostrils, as well as in the position of the corners of the mouth. These signs show which side is higher and which is lower. This is especially well recorded in photographs for documents.
This is where you can see all the advantages and disadvantages of the face. One side is higher and the other is lower. If a person is right-handed, then, as a rule, the left side of the face will be higher. And if you are left-handed, then the right side of your face will be higher.
With the help of exercises, you can partially smooth out facial asymmetry. In order to remove wrinkles from the forehead, you need to close your hands in a “lock” and press them to your forehead, while covering your eyebrows with your hands. In this position, it is necessary to raise and lower the muscles of the forehead and eyebrows. Raise the lowered eyebrow upward, while holding the eyebrow that is located higher with your hand.
To align the cheekbones, you need to open your mouth as if pronouncing the sound “O” to such an extent that you feel the tension in the muscles. The cheekbone, which is higher, is held with the hand, and the muscle of the second cheekbone is tensed. You can also strain your cheekbone muscles alternately.
The asymmetry of the face is very visible at the corners of the lips, so it is necessary to pump up the mouth muscle in the corner that is located below. The weaker corner of the mouth must be raised. To increase the load on this muscle, you need to press down the same corner of the mouth with your fingers and continue the exercise. This exercise can then be performed alternately for both muscles of the mouth.
Open your eyes wide, tense your eyelids, and hold in this state for three seconds. Each exercise is performed 30 times. Constant training will get rid of it. Lead a healthy lifestyle, take care of yourself, love yourself and no facial asymmetry will be scary.
About the author: Larisa Vladimirovna Lukina
Dermatovenerology (Internship in the specialty of dermatovenerology (2003-2004), Certificate of the Department of Dermatovenerology of St. Petersburg State Medical University named after academician I.P. Pavlov dated June 29, 2004); Confirmation of the certificate in the Federal State Institution "SSC Rosmedtekhnologii" (144 hours, 2009) Confirmation of the certificate in the Rost State Medical University of the Ministry of Health of Russia (144 hours, 2014);
Professional competencies: management of dermatovenerological patients in accordance with procedures for the provision of medical care, standards of medical care and approved clinical protocols. Read more about me in the Doctors-Authors section.
Swelling of the cheek on the inside: what to do
How to remove swelling of the cheek? Depending on the degree of manifestation of the unpleasant symptom and the etiology, different treatment methods are used. Their success depends on the correct diagnosis.
When swelling occurs after dental implantation, ice should be applied to the sore cheek. You need to rinse your mouth lightly. It is important to maintain hygiene, diet and spare the postoperative wound.
Drug treatment
The doctor prescribes medications taking into account the clinical picture and the causes of swelling after a comprehensive diagnosis. You may need:
- "Miramistin" and "Chlorhexidine" - for rinsing;
- "Suprastin" is an antihistamine;
- "Nimesil" is an anti-inflammatory drug;
- “Amoxiclav”, “Lincomycin” are antibiotics that are prescribed for acute purulent periostitis.
How to relieve the pain accompanying the causative disease? Hexoral solution or spray or Lidocaine Asept aerosol can help. The painful syndrome in a child is relieved with the help of products that are used during teething, for example, Dentinox.
In some cases, conservative treatment is not enough, so surgical techniques are used. If there is suppuration, the doctor opens the gum, exposes the cavity with pus and installs drainage to drain the exudate. Surgery is also performed in the presence of a neoplasm.
Eye asymmetry in newborns
Know! This problem occurs quite often in infants and raises many questions among parents.
Only a pediatrician can determine the exact cause and make the correct diagnosis. However, we can give the most common reasons for different eye sizes, according to Dr. Komarovsky .
Congenital edema
Swelling after childbirth can last a long time in a child.
The main symptom of this condition is a decrease in eye size.
After some time, the problem goes away on its own and does not require any outside intervention.
What not to do if your cheek is swollen
Before removing the swelling, so as not to worsen the situation, you need to understand what can be done and what cannot be done. If you are not sure of the cause of the swelling, you do not need to apply any compresses, neither warm nor cold, before visiting the doctor. Such actions are fraught with negative consequences. For example, when pus forms, a hot compress can accelerate the development of the pathological process. It is not even recommended to sleep on the sore side. You should also not disturb the swollen cheek, press or massage it.
You should not take painkillers immediately before your visit to the doctor. It can obscure the clinical picture and complicate the diagnosis. It is also prohibited to use any medications without a doctor’s prescription and supervision, especially antibiotics, which affect not only the cause of the disease, but also the entire body.
How to prevent cheek swelling: preventive measures
To prevent the manifestation of an unwanted symptom, you must follow certain recommendations:
- Maintain good oral hygiene. It is especially necessary to monitor the child’s performance of all procedures. It is important to brush your teeth twice a day, use dental floss and mouthwash.
- Visit the dentist periodically - at least twice a year. If unpleasant symptoms occur, a visit to the doctor should be made immediately.
- Strengthen the gums and roots of the teeth by rinsing with herbal infusions and eating solid plant foods.
- Eat rationally and balanced. The body must receive the entire complex of vitamins and minerals around the clock.
No one is immune from problems, but preventative measures will help reduce the likelihood of their occurrence.
Treatment of ocular asymmetry
Treatment of this problem depends entirely on the root cause that caused the pathology.
Thus, eye infections require consultation with an ophthalmologist , and a problem arising from a stroke requires treatment by a neurologist.
Stay up to date! In general, the following treatment plan for different eye sizes can be distinguished:
- undergoing a comprehensive examination by a therapist or pediatrician . In this case, the doctor conducts an external examination and asks the patient about the presence of accompanying symptoms;
- taking tests and undergoing an ultrasound examination.
Once the examination provides general information about the underlying cause, the patient's physician should make a referral to a specific specialist, such as a surgeon, nephrologist, or ophthalmologist.