Adjusting landmarks. The photograph is unmodified and any simulation is held back so you can see
the real anatomy. Press any point and slide it; the magnifier follows. Arrow keys nudge one pixel.
Nothing new is placed while this is on.
Simulation. A soft-tissue morph illustrating a proportion target. It is not a prediction of a surgical
result: it cannot account for bone, skin envelope, scar, healing or technique, and must not be shown as a
representation of outcome. The measurement on the left of each card is your real photograph and never changes.
nudge
True lateral photograph
Natural head position (Frankfort plane horizontal), lips in repose,
hair off the forehead and ear. Then click landmarks in sequence.
Or press "Try the demo" above for a worked example.
hair off the forehead and ear. Then click landmarks in sequence.
Or press "Try the demo" above for a worked example.
Solid chips are required for the core analysis; dashed chips unlock additional measurements. Click a chip to place or re-place that landmark. Hover any point on the photograph to see what it is; "Labels" switches the names on permanently. Millimetre values (lip protrusion, sulcus depth, interlabial gap) appear once the image is calibrated against a known distance.
Measurements & Significance
Adjusting landmarks. The photograph is unmodified and any simulation is held back so you can see
the real anatomy. Press any point and slide it; the magnifier follows. Arrow keys nudge one pixel.
Nothing new is placed while this is on.
Simulation. A soft-tissue morph illustrating a proportion target. It is not a prediction of a surgical
result: it cannot account for bone, skin envelope, scar, healing or technique, and must not be shown as a
representation of outcome. The measurement on the left of each card is your real photograph and never changes.
nudge
Frontal photograph
Head level, eyes open in primary gaze, lips in repose,
both ears visible if possible. Then click landmarks in sequence.
Or load a demo above: the same subject in repose and smiling.
both ears visible if possible. Then click landmarks in sequence.
Or load a demo above: the same subject in repose and smiling.
Helix points (ear margins) are needed for the rule of fifths; if the ears are obscured, the remaining proportions still compute. Hover any point on the photograph to see what it is; "Labels" switches the names on permanently. Calibration unlocks absolute interocular distances in millimetres.
Measurements & Significance
Ideal Values at a Glance
| Measurement | Ideal | Source / note |
|---|---|---|
| Facial thirds (trichion-G-Sn-menton) | 1 : 1 : 1 | Method One; hairline variable |
| Midface N-Sn of N-Me | 43% | Method Two; nasion more reproducible |
| Lower face Sn-Me of N-Me | 57% | Method Two |
| Nasofrontal angle (NFr) | 125-135° | modified by Powell |
| Nasofacial angle (NFa) | 36-40° | projection standard |
| Goode ratio (Ala-Tip / N-Tip) | 0.55-0.60 | lower range female, upper male |
| Baum ratio, Powell modification | 2.8 : 1 | dorsum : base → NFa ≈ 36° |
| Simons ratio (upper lip : nasal base) | 1 : 1 | Sn-LS vs Sn-Tip |
| Nasal width / nasal length | ≈ 70% | ala-ala vs N-tip, frontal |
| Nasolabial angle (NL) | 90-120° | Cm-Sn-LS |
| Columellar show (lateral) | 3-5 mm | below nares |
| Ala : lobule | 1 : 1 | lobular excess better tolerated |
| Upper-lip protrusion from Sn-Pg | 3.5 mm | adult mean (Burstone) |
| Lower-lip protrusion from Sn-Pg | 2.2 mm | adult mean (Burstone) |
| Interlabial gap | 0-3 mm | lips in repose |
| Incisal show in repose | ≈ 2 mm | lip line |
| Lower-face ratio (Sn-stmˢ : stmᵢ-Me) | 1 : 2 (0.5) | Legan; <0.5 chin long, >0.5 chin short |
| Mentolabial sulcus depth | ≈ 4 mm | from LI-Pg line |
| Lower face-throat angle (Sn-Gn-C) | 100° ± 7° | Legan |
| Vertical height-depth ratio (Sn-Gn / C-Gn) | ≈ 1.2 | >1.2 suggests short neck |
| Mentocervical angle (G-Pg / C-Me) | 80-95° | Powell |
| Rule of fifths | 5 × eye width | helix to helix |
| Interpupillary distance | ≈ 65 mm | ≈ N to upper vermilion |
| Intercanthal distance | ≈ 35 mm | ≈ one eye width ≈ alar base width |
| Outer canthal distance | ≈ 98 mm | ≈ three eye widths |
| Frankfort-mandibular plane angle | 20-29° | Tweed; Burstone 23° |
Cephalometric skeletal norms (radiograph required, for reference): SNA 82°±3, SNB 80°±4, ANB 2°±1.5, GoGn-SN 36°±6, 1-to-NA 22°±7, 1-to-NB 25°±7, N-ANS 50±2.5 mm, ANS-Gn 65±4.5 mm, N-Gn 113±5.5 mm.
Landmark Glossary
- Trichion (Tri)
- Midpoint of the hairline. Variable between patients, which is why Method Two anchors on nasion instead.
- Glabella (G)
- Most prominent point of the forehead in the midline, between the brows.
- Nasion (N)
- Deepest point of the nasofrontal curve; the root of the nose. More reproducible than glabella.
- Rhinion
- Junction of bony and cartilaginous dorsum; the apex of a dorsal hump when present.
- Tip / Pronasale (T)
- Most anterior projecting point of the nose.
- Columellar point (Cm)
- Most anterior point of the columella on profile.
- Subnasale (Sn)
- Point where the columella merges with the upper lip.
- Alar groove (Ala)
- Alar-facial junction; the crease where the ala meets the cheek.
- Labrale superius (LS)
- Mucocutaneous border of the upper lip.
- Stomion superius / inferius (stmˢ / stmᵢ)
- Lowest point of the upper lip and highest point of the lower lip; the gap between them is the interlabial gap.
- Labrale inferius (LI)
- Mucocutaneous border of the lower lip.
- Mentolabial sulcus (Si)
- Deepest point of the fold between lower lip and chin.
- Pogonion (Pg)
- Most anterior point of the soft-tissue chin.
- Gnathion (Gn)
- Point between pogonion and menton on the chin's anteroinferior curve.
- Menton (Me)
- Lowest point of the soft-tissue chin.
- Cervical point (C)
- Innermost point between the submental area and the neck, at the intersection of a line tangent to the submental region and the neck.
- Canthi, limbus, pupil
- Medial/lateral canthi are the inner and outer corners of the palpebral fissure; the limbus is the corneal-scleral border; the pupil centre anchors interpupillary distance.
- Frankfort plane
- Superior border of the external auditory canal to the inferior orbital rim; approximates the horizontal in natural head position.
Angle's occlusal classes for context: Class I orthognathic (straight profile), Class II retrognathic (convex profile), Class III prognathic (concave profile). The soft-tissue profile mirrors the underlying occlusion, so a marked deviation in the measurements above warrants a dental-skeletal work-up.
The simulation tool produces a soft-tissue morph of the photograph to illustrate what a proportion target would
look like. It is a drawing aid, not a prediction: it models neither bone, cartilage, skin thickness and elasticity,
nor scar, oedema, healing or operative technique, and it must never be presented to a patient as a representation
of a surgical result. Measured values are always taken from the unmodified photograph.
Educational tool for teaching facial analysis, built on Powell N, Humphreys B. Proportions of the Aesthetic Face. Thieme-Stratton, 1984, and its cited literature (Legan & Burstone, Goode, Simons, Baum, Bernstein, Ellenbogen, Tweed). Values are aesthetic guidelines from predominantly young adult samples, not diagnostic thresholds; age, sex, race, and body type modify every ideal, and photographic landmarking depends on head position and lens distance. Not a substitute for clinical examination or cephalometric analysis.
By Stanley Liu, MD, DDS, FACS · drstanleyliu.com
Educational tool for teaching facial analysis, built on Powell N, Humphreys B. Proportions of the Aesthetic Face. Thieme-Stratton, 1984, and its cited literature (Legan & Burstone, Goode, Simons, Baum, Bernstein, Ellenbogen, Tweed). Values are aesthetic guidelines from predominantly young adult samples, not diagnostic thresholds; age, sex, race, and body type modify every ideal, and photographic landmarking depends on head position and lens distance. Not a substitute for clinical examination or cephalometric analysis.
By Stanley Liu, MD, DDS, FACS · drstanleyliu.com
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