Facial Asymmetry Surgery

Q: Dr. Eppley, I am interested in facial asymmetry surgery. I developed facial asymmetry over past five years and it gets worth each year. I have very low self esteem and would want the least invasive procedure to correct this. I am interested in knowing the causes for this and learning more on options to correct. As you can see in this photo the right side of my face seems to droop. It is not as toned as the left side. To me it seems to be pronounced when I talk and less pronounced when I smile. The concern I have is why–about 5 years ago I didn’t notice this extreme droop at all and over the past few years it seems to get worse. I have always had a lazy eye and that never really bothered me but now that it has advanced to my lip it does concern me. What are causes for this? I get my eyebrows done and the technicians have told me it’s hard to get them to match because they are just different that is when I really began noticing. It just seems like the two sides of my face are totally different. I appreciate your time. 

A: Your facial asymmetry is congenital where the entire right side of your face sits lower than the left. Yo have known this inadvertently for a long time because of the eye asymmetry (‘lazy eye’) but it has become more apparent now as the entire right face is dropping as you age. That is why it is much more apparent now and gets better when you smile since smiling picks up the sagging tissues.

There are no ‘minimally invasive methods of facial asymmetry correction. This is a problem that will respond only to surgery. The simplest and most effective approach to your facial asymmetry surgery would be a combined right endoscopic brow lift and right lower facelift/jowl tuck up procedure. This will resuspend the tissues up higher so the right facial droop is corrected and better matches the left side of your face.

Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana