Nose measurement
Nasolabial Angle
Angle between the underside of the nose (columella) and the upper lip. It reflects nasal-tip rotation and upper-lip inclination: acute values suggest a drooping tip or protrusive lip, obtuse values an upturned tip or retruded lip.
At a glance
- Ideal
- 95–110° (men) · 100–115° (women)
- Unit
- degrees
- Weight in the overall score
- 4.5
- Area
- Nose
How it is measured
∠ Cm–Sn–Ls
- Cm Columella point — The point just behind the tip where the rounded tip turns into the straighter underside of the nose (the columella).
- Sn Subnasale — The point where the underside of the nose meets the upper lip.
- Ls Labrale superius (upper lip) — The most forward point of the upper lip.
Ideal range and tiers
Each value falls into a tier (T1 = ideal). Comfortably inside T1 the rating is 10, easing to 9.5 at the edges of the ideal range; beyond it the rating falls with the deviation — fastest in the first tiers outside the ideal — down to −10 (below 0 where the original tier sheet takes points away) at the far end of the worst tier.
| Tier | Range | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| T1 Ideal | 95–110° | 9.5–10 |
| T2 Near ideal | 91–95° or 110–114° | 7.6–9.5 |
| T3 Mild deviation | 88–91° or 114–117° | 5.8–7.6 |
| T4 Moderate deviation | 83–88° or 117–122° | 4.3–5.8 |
| T5 Significant deviation | 80–83° or 122–125° | −2.5 to 4.3 |
| T6 High deviation | 77–80° or 125–128° | −4.7 to −2.5 |
| T7 Severe deviation | < 77° or > 128° | −10 to −4.7 |
| Tier | Range | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| T1 Ideal | 100–115° | 9.5–10 |
| T2 Near ideal | 96–100° or 115–119° | 7.6–9.5 |
| T3 Mild deviation | 93–96° or 119–122° | 5.8–7.6 |
| T4 Moderate deviation | 88–93° or 122–127° | 4.3–5.8 |
| T5 Significant deviation | 85–88° or 127–130° | −2.5 to 4.3 |
| T6 High deviation | 82–85° or 130–133° | −4.7 to −2.5 |
| T7 Severe deviation | < 82° or > 133° | −10 to −4.7 |
Differences between populations
Optional population norms move this range by the difference reported between groups measured the same way:
- East Asian: men −5°, women −9°.
- African descent: men −12.5°, women −17.5°.
- Middle Eastern: men −9.5°, women −3.5°.
Individual faces vary far more within any group than between groups; these are averages, not targets.
Related measurements
References
- Legan HL, Burstone CJ. Soft tissue cephalometric analysis for orthognathic surgery. J Oral Surg. 1980;38(10):744–751.
- Fitzgerald JP, Nanda RS, Currier GF. An evaluation of the nasolabial angle and the relative inclinations of the nose and upper lip. Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop. 1992;102(4):328–334.