Can nose grow, or forehead/chin recede for a female after age 18?

Question

I photographed my profile & compared it to a pic that my ortho took at age 18 & they don’t match. I’m 22 now. No matter how I angle the photo it doesn’t fit right—either it looks like nose grew, or chin receded, or forehead receded. Not sure which one. It’s small difference either way but something changed. My bite has not changed at all & I don’t see how any of these changes are possible after 18. What could be going on?

Jarred McDaniel, MD · Answer

The nose does not continue to grow after facial growth completion (by age 18 in females). The chin does not retrude with normal aging processes. In order to properly evaluate facial photographs the photographs must be standardized. The important components in your photos that are easy to critique are the distance from the camera to your face, the specific axis of the camera to your face, the degree of upward chin tilt (very different in your photos), lighting. Barrel or pincushion distortion ("zoom" effects) can also have an impact, but this is impossible to tell without more information. 
If you want to be perfectly accurate, cephalometric evaluation with a standardized x-ray will give you baseline measurements, and you can follow-up in 6 months to a year with another set to evaluate for any changes. 
Kind of techical, but photos can be deceptive.

Can nose grow, or forehead/chin recede for a female after age 18?

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