Social media platforms like TikTok have a way of making users feel like they’re never quite enough, between viral trends like morning shed routines and the quest for glass skin to beauty filters and AI-generated enhancements.
And because beauty trends move fast, what’s considered desirable today might be outdated by tomorrow, leaving people chasing an ever-moving target. One of the latest obsessions? “Facial harmony” — which has fueled the pursuit of facial symmetry. And it’s not without its risks.
Here’s what it really means to achieve “facial harmony.”
With over 225.5 million posts about facial harmony on TikTok, users are dissecting their looks by isolating individual facial features and zooming in on their nose, lips, forehead and jawline before pulling back to reveal their full face. Some label themselves with captions like “good features, bad facial harmony” while others the reverse, “bad features, good facial harmony.” The comment section becomes a free-for-all, inviting public scrutiny and debate over what makes a face attractive. According to this trend, beauty isn’t just about having standout features but about how well they all work together.
“What’s being portrayed on social media, especially TikTok, is this relentless pursuit of perfection in an attempt to restore full-blown symmetry,” a goal that’s nearly impossible to reach, said Dr. Sachin Shridharani, a board-certified plastic surgeon and chief medical officer at SkinSpirit.
This trend presents facial harmonization as a way to achieve symmetry, influenced by idealized beauty standards shaped by filters, AI-generated face scans and concepts like the golden ratio, a mathematical concept where facial features are considered most attractive when certain distances between key points on the face follow a specific ratio, like when the width of the face is roughly 1.6 times the height of the face.
But in medical aesthetics, the goal isn’t perfect symmetry. Instead, a balanced, personalized approach is best. “This means focusing on proportion, volume restoration in areas where it’s needed and maintaining natural movement,” explained board-certified dermatologistDr. Asmi Berry. “Beauty is about balance, proportion and preserving what makes someone look naturally radiant.”
The brain is biased for symmetry, but asymmetry is perfectly normal.
This facial harmonization trend plays on our brain’s natural preference for symmetry. “Some evolutionary theories suggest that symmetrical features may be subconsciously associated with health and genetic fitness, making them more attractive to us,” explained board-certified psychiatrist Dr. Jasmine Sawhne.
Traits linked to symmetry can signal a stronger ability to pass on genes, often tied to overall health, reproduction and adaptability.
But the face is a dynamic structure, shaped by a variety of factors and constantly changing. “The subtle asymmetries in our face are what give us our unique characteristics and allow for individuals to actually look like themselves,” Shridharani said.
Berry also points out that facial asymmetry is completely normal and occurs due to a combination of genetic, developmental and environmental factors. While genetics play a significant role in determining our bone structure, muscle attachment and tissue distribution, everyday habits and muscle dominance can have a huge impact on facial asymmetry, too.
“Sleeping on one side repeatedly can cause increased volume loss and deepen nasolabial folds and wrinkles on that side. Chewing predominantly on one side strengthens the jaw muscles unevenly, potentially leading to a more developed masseter muscle on one side of the face,” Berry said. “Even facial expressions, like always raising one eyebrow or smiling asymmetrically, can shape how skin and muscles develop over time, contributing to slight imbalances.”
It doesn’t stop there, as aging also plays a role in facial asymmetry. Berry points out that as we get older, skin elasticity, fat loss and bone resorption — the gradual loss of bone mass in the jaw and facial structure — happen at different rates on each side of the face, further contributing to asymmetry.
What are the dangers of chasing facial symmetry?
“Filtered and AI-generated beauty standards often distort perceptions of facial harmony. These tools create an idealized, unattainable version of beauty by eliminating natural features like texture and asymmetry,” Sawhne said. Constant exposure to flawless digital images can drive harsh self-comparisons, leading to unrealistic expectations and dissatisfaction with one’s real appearance. The pressure to conform to these standards not only harms mental health but can also increase self-consciousness and body dysmorphic tendencies.
There are also physical dangers, as overusing fillers and injectables in the pursuit of symmetry can backfire, distorting natural facial proportions and leading to an overfilled or frozen appearance.
“Too much filler can stretch the skin, making it harder to maintain results over time,” Berry explained. “When people overfill or over-correct in pursuit of balance, they often lose the unique features that make them look like themselves and end up looking puffy, stiff or distorted. Over time, this can also create a dependency on injectables. As the skin and underlying structures adapt to excessive volume, it requires even more product to maintain the results.”
If you choose to go for nonsurgical procedures, the focus should be on enhancing facial harmony, not eliminating natural differences, Berry said. “A well-trained injector understands that beauty isn’t about symmetry.”
But it’s also important to practice self-compassion by focusing on how your body functions rather than how it looks, points out Sawhne. Curate your social media feed with diverse, unfiltered representations of beauty and cut back on appearance-focused content.
And don’t forget to invest in activities that boost your self-worth beyond looks — whether it’s diving into a favorite hobby or nurturing meaningful relationships, these can help reinforce a healthier, more balanced self-image.