A common reason for booking a consultation is the discovery, usually in a photograph or a mirroring app, that one side of the face does not match the other. Patients arrive expecting to be told what can be done about it. The more useful starting point is that almost every face is asymmetrical to some degree, and that the faces which are genuinely symmetrical often read as subtly wrong rather than as ideal.
This does not mean asymmetry is never worth treating. It means the cause has to be established before the treatment is chosen, because the available options address different causes. Dr Rami Haidar assesses this regularly at Excellence Medical Boutique in Jumeirah, Dubai, and in some cases the assessment concludes that nothing should be done.
Dr Rami Haidar | 13th July 2026 | Excellence Medical Boutique, Dubai
Some degree of asymmetry is present in almost every face, and it forms part of what makes an individual recognisable. Perfect symmetry is rare enough that most people have never seen it outside of an edited image, and when a face is mirrored to produce it, the result frequently looks unfamiliar to the person it belongs to.
This is worth establishing early in a consultation, because the question a patient arrives with is often whether their asymmetry is abnormal. In the great majority of cases it is not. What follows is a conversation about degree and cause rather than about correction.
The first cause is structural. The two halves of the facial skeleton are rarely identical, and every layer built on top of that foundation inherits the difference. A jaw sitting slightly differently on one side, or a cheekbone with marginally more projection, changes how light falls across that whole side of the face.
This kind of asymmetry has usually been present for a long time, even when a patient has only recently noticed it. Photographs from several years earlier often show the same pattern, which is worth checking before assuming that something has changed.
The second cause is behavioural, and it surprises most patients. The side a person sleeps on and the side they chew on both exert influence over time. Muscles used more heavily on one side develop differently, and sustained pressure from a sleeping position has an effect of its own.
Consequently, some asymmetry is acquired rather than inherited. Identifying the habit matters as much as identifying the appearance, because treating the visible result while the habit continues unchanged means treating the same thing repeatedly.
Filler is a volume solution, so it addresses asymmetry caused by a volume difference. Where the cause is habitual, muscular, or skeletal in a way that volume will not disguise, injecting filler treats the wrong thing and can make the imbalance more noticeable rather than less.
The sequence therefore runs cause first and treatment second. Depending on whether the driver is anatomical or behavioural, the appropriate response differs, and in some cases it involves addressing the habit rather than the face. Patients whose asymmetry sits in the lower face sometimes find the relevant discussion is about the jawline instead.
Sometimes no treatment should be done. A slight asymmetry is part of a patient’s natural appearance and part of what makes them recognisable to the people who know them. Removing it does not produce a better version of that face. It produces a less distinctive one.
This is a difficult recommendation to accept after months of looking at the imbalance, and an easy one for a clinic to avoid making. However, natural beauty is not always total symmetry, and a consultation unable to reach that conclusion is not really functioning as an assessment.
Dr Rami Haidar is a UK-trained Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon, so assessment begins at the level of the facial skeleton rather than the surface. That matters here, because distinguishing a structural asymmetry from a muscular or habitual one is the entire decision, and everything that follows depends on getting it right.
The consultation covers bone, soft tissue, muscle and habits, and it includes the possibility that the answer is to change nothing. Patients are also shown what their face would look like with the asymmetry removed, which is frequently the moment they decide they would rather keep it.
If your face looks uneven and you want to understand why before deciding what to do about it, a consultation is the appropriate next step. Dr Rami sees patients at Excellence Medical Boutique in Jumeirah, Dubai, where assessment covers the cause rather than the appearance alone.
That assessment will tell you what is driving the asymmetry, what the realistic options are, and whether treating it is the right decision in your case at all.
Yes. Some degree of asymmetry is present in almost every face and forms part of what makes it individual. Perfect symmetry is rare, and faces that are genuinely symmetrical can look subtly unnatural rather than ideal.
Usually one of two things. The underlying bony structure is rarely identical on both sides, and every layer above it inherits that difference. Alternatively the cause is habitual, such as the side you sleep or chew on. Both can contribute together.
Sustained pressure from a sleeping position is one of the habits that can influence facial asymmetry over time, alongside chewing predominantly on one side. This is why assessment covers habits and not only anatomy.
Sometimes, where the imbalance is caused by a volume difference that filler can genuinely correct. Where the cause is muscular, habitual or skeletal in a way volume cannot disguise, filler may make the imbalance more noticeable.
Not necessarily. Sometimes the correct recommendation is that no treatment should be done, because the asymmetry is slight and part of your natural appearance. An honest consultation should be able to reach that conclusion.
A mirror shows a reversed image and you are used to that version. A photograph shows the orientation everyone else sees, which is unfamiliar, so existing asymmetry becomes far more noticeable. The face has not changed.
Harmony and balance. The aim is a face whose proportions work together, not one whose halves match. Those are different objectives, and pursuing exact symmetry can produce a result that looks processed rather than improved.
Through an in-person examination covering bony structure, soft tissue, muscle and relevant habits. Dr Rami’s background as a maxillofacial surgeon means assessment starts with the skeleton, since that distinction determines everything that follows.
Located in the heart of Jumeirah, Dubai, Excellence Medical Boutique is more than a clinic, it’s a destination. A sanctuary where innovation, expertise and care come together to enhance your natural beauty and confidence. Excellence Medical Boutique is conveniently located on 197 Jumeira St, Jumeirah, Jumeirah 1, Dubai. This makes it easy for patients travelling from across Dubai to visit for consultation and treatment.
