Cheekbone analysis: prominence and the midface

Cheekbone analysis measures the position and projection of the malar bones — the prominences in the middle third of the face — and how they shape its width, its light, and its profile. "High cheekbones" is a statement about where the prominence sits, not how large it is.

What "high cheekbones" means anatomically

The cheekbone is the zygomatic bone. Its most prominent point — the malar prominence — is the widest, most forward part of the cheek. "High cheekbones" describes a malar prominence positioned high on the midface, near or just below the outer corner of the eye, rather than lower toward the mouth. Two people can have equally projecting cheekbones; the one whose prominence sits higher is the one described as having high cheekbones.

This is a positional term, not a measure of prominence alone. A high but flat cheekbone and a lower but strongly projecting one produce very different faces, which is why analysis records both height and projection.

The midface ratio

The midface is the middle third of the face, running roughly from the brow region to the base of the nose. The midface ratio compares its width — usually cheekbone to cheekbone (bizygomatic width) — with its height. A compact ratio reads as a broad, short midface; a longer ratio reads as a narrow, tall one. Along with cheekbone height and projection, the ratio helps describe whether the middle of the face is the widest part of the outline, which is characteristic of some face shapes.

How cheekbones shape light and shadow

Much of what people perceive as prominent cheekbones is a lighting effect. A forward-projecting malar prominence catches light on its high point and casts a soft shadow in the hollow beneath it, between the cheekbone and the jaw. That highlight-and-shadow pattern is what makes cheekbones "read" in a photograph. It also means lighting direction, camera angle, and body fat all change how prominent the same bone appears — a reason measurement should come from geometry rather than a single lit photo.

The ogee curve

Seen at a three-quarter angle, the cheek forms a gentle S-shape: convex over the cheekbone, then concave into the hollow below. Clinicians call this the ogee curve, after the S-shaped architectural moulding. A smooth, continuous ogee curve is associated with a youthful midface; when the curve flattens or breaks, the midface reads as older or deflated. The ogee is one of the clearest ways to describe cheek projection in profile.

How age changes the midface

The zygomatic bone changes slowly, but the tissue over it changes faster. With age the midface fat pads descend and lose volume, so the high point of the cheek appears to drop and flatten, the ogee curve softens, and the hollow beneath the cheekbone deepens. The bone that defined the cheek in youth is largely still there; what changed is the padding and skin draped over it. This is a normal age-related change, not a defect.

How Refrakt's AI measures cheekbone prominence

1. Depth from a 3D scan. The most prominent point of each cheekbone is located in three dimensions, so the analysis can measure how far forward it projects — something a flat photo cannot see.
2. Height and width. The height of each prominence relative to the eyes and the width between the two sides are measured and normalized by face size.
3. Ogee and symmetry. The profile curve of each cheek and the left-to-right balance are described, so the analysis reports where prominence sits, not just a single number.

Bone versus soft tissue over the cheek

What a viewer reads as a cheekbone is a combination of the zygomatic bone and the fat, muscle, and skin over it. The bone sets the underlying shape, but the malar fat pad, the buccal fat lower down, and overall body fat decide how much of that shape shows. A prominent bone under a full cheek can read as soft, while a moderate bone under a lean cheek can read as sculpted. This is why the same person can appear to have very different cheekbones at different weights or ages, and why prominence measured from depth is more stable than prominence guessed from a photo.

It also explains why cheekbones respond to overall change more than most features. Because so much of the visible effect is soft tissue, changes in body fat and midface volume shift the apparent prominence without the bone moving at all. The analysis separates the fixed part — where the bone sits and how far it projects — from the changeable padding over it, so the numbers describe structure rather than a passing state.

Why cheekbones anchor the whole face

The cheekbones usually mark the widest point of the face, which makes them a hinge between the upper and lower thirds. A broad, high midface tapers the face toward the jaw and reads as heart- or diamond-shaped; a narrower midface lets the jaw carry more of the outline. Because they sit at the centre and the widest span, small differences in cheekbone height and projection ripple into how the eyes, nose, and jaw are all perceived, which is why midface measurements feature so heavily in describing overall facial balance.

Cheekbone and midface measurements

Commonly cited midface measurements and what they describe. Figures are population averages that vary with sex, ancestry, age, and method:

Frequently asked questions