Is Facial Asymmetry Surgery Worth It?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I was writing interested in learning more about facial asymmetry surgery. I noticed that one side of my face is a bit fuller than the other. It manifests in the forehead and the jawline. I am wondering if it is advisable to do anything about these types of asymmetries or is it best to just ignore them. I have attached some photos to provide some examples of what I am referring to.

A: The answer to your question about facial asymmetry surgery and whether it is worth it depends on the degree that it bothers you, what would it take to make a correction and what are the risks in doing so. In terms of improving any facial asymmetry it is infinitely easier to add fullness than it is to reduce it. This is particularly true in the forehead due to surgical access. (incision needed to do it) It is less true in the jawline since the incisional access is intraoral. I would need to see better pictures of your face (non-smiling straight on picture) to do a computer imaging analysis to see if you feel such changes would be aesthetically beneficial and what type of facial changes those would be.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana