How your face looks from the side is just as important as it does from the front. Your ‘side profile’ shows off your jawline, bone structure and can even be an indication of your health. Being satisfied with how your face looks from the side greatly impacts your confidence.
But sadly, most men overlook this part of themselves.
Thankfully, I’ve got you covered.
In this article, you’ll learn about the benefits associated with a good side profile and how you can start improving your side profile today.
Understanding the Side Profile
What is a Side Profile?
A side profile is a 90-degree angle view of your face from either the left or right side.
Your side profile is an indicator of a number of things. For example, the most prominent features in a side profile are the shape of your jaw, chin, and nose. So a side profile is great for evaluating your dental and facial health.
Side profiles are also widely used in the modeling industry. A good side profile demonstrates you have balanced facial features.
Characteristics of an Attractive Side Profile
An attractive side profile is symmetrical and emphasizes the sharpness of your facial features, especially your nose, chin, and jaw.
Naturally, men with balanced and sharp facial features are considered more attractive.
The following are just some of the features that make up an attractive side profile:
- A sharp jawline
- A straight nose
- A refined chin
- High cheekbones
- Ears proportional to the rest of your head
- Good neck length
- A balanced hairline
Factors Influencing the Side Profile
Genetics
Genetics have the biggest influence on facial features like your nose and jaw. For example, you may have wider or narrower nasal passages depending on whether you have West African or European ancestry.
Aging and Body Fat
Your body produces two proteins, collagen and elastin, that make your skin elastic and firm. Without adequate amounts of these proteins, your skin sags. Unfortunately, aging causes our bodies to produce less elastin and collagen proteins.
So the older you get, the more your skin sags. Sagging hurts your side profile by causing things like double chins.
This problem is doubly compounded if you have excess body fat. High body fat makes your face rounder and your jawline less defined.
Environmental Factors
Environmental factors, like UV exposure and temperature, can potentially damage your skin. Even air-borne dust can clog your skin pores, causing acne and dark spots.
UV radiation hurts your skin cells, causing pigmentation, wrinkles, and even potentially cancer. Exposure to high temperatures causes your body to lose fluids through excessive sweating.
Losing fluids makes you dehydrated, which makes your skin cracked and itchy. On the flip side, cold temperatures can cause conditions like eczema and dry skin.
But you can also use the environment to your advantage. For instance, living in a humid environment keeps your skin nourished and softer by preventing it from drying.
Tongue Posture
Your tongue posture is how your tongue rests in your mouth. Your tongue posture has a huge impact on your facial features.
For example, resting your tongue at the bottom of your mouth contributes to a double chin. You also don’t want your tongue to touch your teeth because it can deform your front teeth.
The Psychological Impact of the Side Profile
A good side profile subconsciously boosts your confidence and self-esteem. That’s because it gives you satisfaction with your appearance.
Conversely, a bad side profile subconsciously hurts your confidence. Being dissatisfied with your appearance can lead you to develop a distorted self-image and become more self-critical.
This dissatisfaction with your appearance can manifest in you being unable to fully express yourself.
So the quality of your side profile ultimately affects your social interactions. You’re more likely to enjoy positive social interactions by being satisfied with your appearance.
The Role of Breathing and Tongue Posture
Mouth Breathing vs. Nasal Breathing
Although common, you shouldn’t breathe through your mouth.
When you mouth-breathe, your tongue rests at the bottom of your mouth, contributing to sagging and a double chin.
The natural and correct way to breathe is through your nose.
Nasal breathing has both health and appearance benefits. Your nose warms and humidifies the air that passes through it, making it easier for your lungs to use.
Nasal breathing also improves your side profile by encouraging facial muscle development and reducing the appearance of an underdeveloped jawline.
Mewing and Tongue Posture
Mewing is when your tongue rests, touching the roof of your mouth, and you breathe through your nose. Your head should also be up, and your mouth closed.
This is the natural and healthy position for your head and tongue. Mewing prevents incorrect tongue posture and improves the definition of your facial muscles.
That makes mewing a great way to improve your side profile.
Orthodontics and the Side Profile
Orthodontic treatments, like braces and retainers, improve your side profile by correcting skeletal or dental issues. Braces, for example, correct misaligned teeth.
Realigning your teeth or jaws improves your face’s balance and symmetry from the side and front. You can also employ orthodontic treatments to correct issues like underbites, open bites, and overbites.
Tips for Improving Your Side Profile
1. Dietary Changes
Your diet impacts your entire physique, especially your facial features.
We all know eating a balanced diet without excess calories keeps your body fat low. But did you know eating excess salt alone increases fluid retention, making your double chin more pronounced?
The remedy is to avoid excess salt and increase your water intake. A good water intake removes toxins that cause bloating.
Eating water-rich foods, like watermelon, and drinking water also improves your skin’s elasticity.
2. Chewing and Mewing
Chewing and mewing strengthen your jaw muscles and tighten your neck muscles. The result is an improved side profile, better facial definition, and a chiseled jawline.
3. Jaw and Neck Exercises
You can perform the following jaw and neck exercises to make your jawline more prominent:
- Chin-ups
- Tongue Twisters
- Fish Lips
- Jawline Stretch
Be aware that it could be multiple weeks before you see results.
4. Non-Surgical Treatments
As you age, you lose strength in the bottom half of your face, including your jaw. This causes the saggy double chin look no one wants.
One non-surgical treatment for this problem is dermal fillers. A dermal filler injection tightens the skin on your neck and under your chin.
Similarly, if your nose has bumps and asymmetry from the side, you can get non-surgical rhinoplasty to correct it.
5. Surgical Interventions
You can opt for the following surgical interventions if you have more extreme problems.
- Surgical rhinoplasty can reshape your nose
- Chin augmentation improves your side profile by enhancing your chin’s definition
- Jaw surgery can correct skeletal issues and make your face more proportional
Prevention Strategies
Use the following tips to prevent common side profile problems and proactively improve your side profiles:
- Create a good skincare routine to improve your skin health and reduce aging signs.
- Maintain a healthy body fat percentage.
- Avoid unhealthy habits like smoking cigarettes, which accelerate aging.
Practical Steps for Capturing the Perfect Side Profile
Use the following tips to capture the best side profile.
Identifying the Best Side of the Face
Every man has a good and bad side to their face. Identify your good side by noticing the unique features on both sides of your face. And only use your good side for your side profile.
Composition and Posing Techniques
These two poses can reduce the appearance of your double and improve your side profile.
- Chin-Up Pose: Subtly tilt your chin up. Doing so tightens the skin underneath your chin.
- Tilting Your Head Pose: Slightly tilt your head to one side to emphasize your jawline.
Your photo’s background also impacts your side profile. Ideally, you want a background appropriate to your shoot’s theme.
Lighting Techniques for Side Portraits
Experiment with different lighting techniques, including the three below, to find the right one for you.
- Rim light: Point a single flash toward the subject from behind the model.
- Sidelight: Place a light on the left or right side of the subject.
- Silhouette: Create a brightly lit background to contrast against the subject as a dark outline.
Real-Life Success Stories
Here are a few case studies of people who have successfully improved their side profiles:
This Reddit user improved their side profile by consistent mewing for over a year and a half.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do People Look Better on the Left or Right Side?
Either side of your face can look better than the other, depending on your facial features and the lighting.
Why Does My Side Profile Look Flat?
Your side profile looks flat if your forehead, nose, and chin don’t project enough. Insufficient projection could be because of your bone structure.
Conclusion
A good side profile indicates your facial health and boosts your confidence. You can improve your side profile by having a healthy diet, regularly exercising, practicing facial exercises, and using better lighting.
Improving your side profile is a long-term investment, so you have to be consistent and patient to get the best results.
