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Harmony · Side view · Nose

Nasal Projection

How far the nose tip extends in front of the nasal wing, relative to a constructed nose length.

What is measured

The calculation

Horizontal subalare-to-tip projection ÷ tip-to-extended-dorsum length

Side view / Measurement guide

Nasal Projection: side-view measurement illustrationAn original schematic showing A: Horizontal tip projection; B: Constructed dorsal length. Lines identify the landmarks used; the drawing is not to scale.AB

Follow the measurement

Select a label to focus on its line. Select again to show all measurements.

Schematic illustration, not to scale. Lines show the measurement construction; this is not an ideal face or a scored result.

In these guides, nasion means the nasal root, subnasale the nose base, and pogonion the most forward chin point. Frankfort refers to the direction from the ear-opening landmark to the lower orbital landmark.

Why it matters

Scaling projection by nose length distinguishes a long nose with proportional reach from a short nose with the same forward reach. Projection and rotation describe different aspects of the tip.

  • Lower: less forward tip reach relative to the constructed length.
  • Higher: more forward tip reach relative to that length.

Where the idea comes from

FaceIQ adaptation

Projection-to-length ratios are used in rhinoplasty assessment. FaceIQ extends the tip-to-rhinion direction to nasal-root height for its denominator; that construction is not interchangeable with every clinical projection method. [1]

A worked example

A 30-unit horizontal projection divided by a 50-unit constructed length gives 0.60.

Example values explain the calculation. They are not a target range and are not measurements of the schematic above.

Research & further reading

The sources below explain the history or related evidence. FaceIQ’s score weights and reference ranges are model settings; these papers do not collectively validate the scoring system.

  1. [1] Tavakoli et al. · 2023

    Ideal Nasal Preferences: A Quantitative Investigation with 3D Imaging in the Iranian Population

    Asked 203 volunteers to rate edited nose features on one male and one female model. Supports studying angles and projection together, with limits from the sampled faces and raters.

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