Recessed Chin Test — Is Your Chin Recessed?

A valid side-profile scan outputs four readings across three geometric relationships, overlaid on nine silhouette-derived soft-tissue profile points. These are two-dimensional photograph measurements, not direct bone measurements.

How the reference band label works

This tool does not produce a 0–100 score, an attractiveness rank, or a "recessed chin" verdict. Instead, the result card displays a status label based solely on the rounded mentolabial angle (Li–B′–Pog′):

• 110.0° to 160.0°: within the broad reference range
• 98.0° to 109.9°, or 160.1° to 162.0°: near the edge of the broad reference range
• Below 98.0°, or above 162.0°: markedly outside the reference bands

The 110°–160° span is a broad photo comparison band adopted by this project, and the 98° and 162° cutoffs are software comparison thresholds rather than published clinical boundaries.

The tool combines a local face-landmark pass with silhouette segmentation. When a pose estimate is available, insufficient head turn prevents a result.

Rather than relying on the front-photo mesh to trace a 90° profile, the analyzer uses a local segmentation model to locate the visible skin contour and search for nine silhouette-derived soft-tissue profile points from top to bottom:

• Glabella (G): Forward soft-tissue point above the nasal root.
• Nasion (N): Deepest visible transition between forehead and nose (used for vertical ordering and locating the glabella window, not as the nose-length denominator).
• Pronasale (Prn): Most projecting point of the visible nasal tip.
• Subnasale (Sn): Junction where the lower border of the nose meets the upper lip.
• Labrale superius (Ls): Most projecting point on the upper-lip contour.
• Labrale inferius (Li): Most projecting point on the lower-lip contour.
• Sulcus / soft-tissue point B (B′): Deepest inward point between the lower lip and chin.
• Pogonion (Pog′): Most projecting forward point on the soft-tissue chin.
• Menton (Me′): Lower-chin inward contour point. Menton is used as a contour-stability anchor. It does not produce an additional measurement.

If the contour is clipped by the image border, the background cannot be separated clearly from the subject, or the nine points do not fall into a plausible vertical order and span, the tool withholds a reading rather than guessing.

Casual searches often treat "recessed chin," "weak chin," "weak jawline," and "recessed jaw" as interchangeable, but they describe different things.

Soft-tissue appearance vs. skeletal structure

"Weak chin" or "recessed chin" in everyday conversation usually refers to how far the visible soft-tissue chin (Pog′) projects relative to the nose and lips in a side view. "Weak jawline" often describes a front- or side-view outline affected by soft tissue, posture, or lighting.

Retrognathia is a clinical term concerning the skeletal position of the jaw relative to other craniofacial structures. A photograph cannot establish the underlying skeletal relationship. Clinical concerns require assessment by a qualified clinician.

Side-profile projection vs. front-photo outline

This page evaluates side-profile contour relationships (G–Sn–Pog′, Li–B′–Pog′, and E-line offsets). To measure front-photo jaw angles, jaw-to-cheek width ratios, and left–right symmetry, use the separate Jawline Rating Test. For front-view proportions, see the Golden Ratio Face Calculator.

A photograph reading can shift even when your anatomy has not changed. The silhouette contour responds to both soft-tissue posture and camera setup:

• Head turn (yaw) and camera angle: A three-quarter turn compresses front-to-back depth. Raising or lowering the camera changes the apparent vertical spacing between the nose, lips, and chin.
• Head pitch and neck posture: Tilting your chin up or down alters the angle between the forehead, nasal base, and chin relative to the vertical image axis.
• Lip tension and expression: Smiling, pressing the lips together, or tensing the chin moves Ls, Li, B′, and Pog′, which directly changes both the mentolabial angle and E-line ratios.
• Beards, hair, and lighting: Facial hair or scarf/collar edges can create a new outer silhouette boundary. Low contrast between your skin and the wall behind you can prevent clean contour separation.

Keep these four conditions steady when taking or comparing a profile photo:

1. Use a true side view: Turn your head so the camera sees a clean profile rather than a three-quarter angle. Do not use a mirror selfie where you have to turn your eyes or head toward the glass.
2. Keep your head level and step back: Hold the camera at head height at least an arm's length away to reduce close-up lens distortion. Keep your head upright without lifting or tucking your chin.
3. Relax your lips and jaw: Let your lips rest naturally without clenching, smiling, or puckering.
4. Use a plain, contrasting background: Pull hair away from your forehead, ear, and neck. Stand in front of a simple background that contrasts clearly with your skin tone, and ensure your full forehead, nose tip, lips, and chin sit well inside the frame.

File requirements: Upload a single-person JPG or PNG of 10 MB or less (up to 40 MP) measuring at least 480 pixels in both width and height. Brightness and overall contrast are assessed internally, but these checks alone do not automatically block a profile reading.

Three peer-reviewed papers and one validation dataset provide background for the named profile relationships and engineering checks on this page. They offer context for definitions; they do not validate this browser tool's silhouette points or photo comparison bands.

1. Facial convexity (G–Sn–Pog′): Legan HL, Burstone CJ. Soft tissue cephalometric analysis for orthognathic surgery. Journal of Oral Surgery (1980); 38(10):744–751. PMID 6932485. Provides background for soft-tissue convexity definitions in cephalometry; this tool does not apply cephalometric normal ranges to browser photographs.
2. Mentolabial angle (Li–B′–Pog′): Naini FB, Cobourne MT, Garagiola U, McDonald F, Wertheim D. Mentolabial angle and aesthetics: a quantitative investigation of idealized and normative values. Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (2017); 39:4. DOI 10.1186/s40902-017-0102-8. Examined perceptual ratings on an altered silhouette profile; our 110°–160° range and 98°/162° cutoffs are project-defined photo comparison settings, not clinical norms from this paper.
3. Esthetic line (Prn–Pog′): Ricketts RM. Esthetics, environment, and the law of lip relation. American Journal of Orthodontics (1968); 54(4):272–289. DOI 10.1016/S0002-9416(68)90278-9. Introduced the nose-to-chin reference line using millimetre distances; our unitless Sn–Prn nose-length normalization and sign convention are specific to this photo calculator.
4. Profile validation dataset: DeBruine L, Jones BC. Face Research Lab London Set. Figshare (2017). DOI 10.6084/m9.figshare.5047666. Used to evaluate front-mesh dropout on true profiles versus three-quarter views and to test contour rejection behavior.