The older your face, the more asymmetrical it becomes

If you think your face is a bit lopsided, just wait until you get older.

New research shows that differences between the two sides of your face increase with age.

Small, but measurable differences

For the study, scientists used 3-D digital imaging to scan the faces of 191 people, aged four months to 88 years, to assess how facial symmetry changed with age.

The results revealed small – but measurable and noticeable – increases in facial asymmetry with ageing.

The greatest age-related increases in facial asymmetry occurred in the lower two-thirds of the face, from the eyebrows to the nose and from the nose to chin.

A guide in plastic surgery

The findings were published in the November issue of the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

"The observed correlation between increasing facial asymmetry and age can be useful as a guide in plastic surgery to produce age-matched features," said researcher Dr Helena Taylor, from Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

"Ultimately, we hope to contribute to a better understanding of how asymmetry evolves with time and use this data to improve outcomes in both reconstructive and aesthetic surgery," the researchers said in a journal news release.

^{Image credit: iStock}