asymmetrical Face and fear of speaking on camera

[Coconuts1]

Hey everyone

I feel so down, I’ve only recently just noticed I have an asymmetrical face, now I know it shouldn’t be any big deal but it’s affecting me mentally. Possibly this wouldn’t be as bad if it weren’t for my job, I have an online store and I’m trying to be more present on social media which means posting videos and talking revise on camera, I hate social media but I’m pushing my confidence to the next level trying to do this.

I feel So anxious about this, my partner has never mentioned it in the 6 years we Have been together which is so strange because it’s so obvious

How can I get past this and get over myself

Is there anything that can fix this

I am just can’t look at myself, I’m dreading my wedding day Pictures

Maybe I need surgery, what kind of professional should I speak to regarding this? My dentist didn’t notice I clearly look like my teeth need straightening

Thank you

[UmarPlagio]

Hi,

Sorry to hear you’re going through a tough time, discovering you have asymmetry/deformity is a horrible experience and one many on this site suffer from, so fear not, we’re all here with you.

Sometimes self issues with appearance are triggered by an event. In your case you say you’ve never noticed before and have been in a relationship for 6 years, are you getting married soon? If you are maybe all the thoughts of having pics taken and people looking at you constantly have made you conscious of your appearance for the first time.

Regarding asymmetry please don’t make the mistake I did and self diagnose, don’t jump into surgery. You should book a consultation with a craniofacial consultant in your area, they will examine you and help with a diagnosis.

I skipped this process and thought I knew what was best for me. I’ve always had a deviated septum and chubby cheeks, I flew out to turkey and had a nose job with buccal fat removal and fat grafting. After the surgery I noticed my asymmetry more than ever and my whole nose deviates instead of just the tip. Through much research I found I have torticollis with secondary plagiocephaly!! Sorry to drone on about myself, but the moral of the story is be happy with what you’ve got, and if you do want to investigate further only ever do so with the advice and guidance of registered, accredited medical professionals who will want to check every possibility before even considering advising about surgery, never mind performing it.

Ps

Perhaps the most important thing which happened to me, I went to see a specialist here before going to Turkey, he said me wanting a nose job was justified, however the other procedures I wanted were not. He said he’d only consider performing rhinoplasty after I’ve been evaluated by a psychiatrist. The Turkish surgeon planned my surgery based on photos and didn’t have a single in person consultation.

[OutdoorsyGal]

The “mirror effect” amplifies how you see your asymmetries in photos, in effect doubling how much size difference you perceive.

This is because our brains get used to compensating for irregularities as we look at ourselves in a mirror everyday.

When we see a photo, not only is our hair part on the wrong side, but the relative size of our eyes and ears, etc., is confused by this flipping of our image.

It’s not as bad as it seems, and those who love you see you as they’ve always seen you, without this brain confusion you are experiencing.

Be happy your love loves YOU, not some idealized woman.

But if you want to LOVE some of your wedding photos, you could ask your photographer to try to get some profile or angle images rather than all full-frontal.