FORMA FEATURE / NOSENasal root: measurements, ratios, and research
The radix is the root of the nose where it transitions from the forehead. Its height and depth influence the apparent size and slope of the entire nose. This page separates published measurements from interpretation, preference experiments, and community speculation.
What nasal root means
Nasofrontal angle describes the forehead–nasal-dorsum transition around the nasion. A three-landmark angle and tangent-based angle are not automatically interchangeable.
Facial measurements only become comparable when the view, head position, soft-tissue landmarks, and endpoint definitions are held constant. A number copied from a profile photograph is not interchangeable with a value measured from a clinical scan or a front-facing portrait.
Official measurements, ratios & competing claims
≈ 130° Preferred angle in a silhouette experiment
A male Caucasian profile experiment preferred about 130°, with 127–142° considered acceptable.
Study: One idealized silhouette, with its lower angle component manipulated. Results do not isolate a universal radix height or apply unchanged across facial types. Nasofrontal Angle and Nasal Dorsal Aesthetics
Practical takeaway
Use the preferred angle as a starting point for the transition.
The silhouette result below gives a concrete reference for how distinctly the forehead turns into the nasal bridge. Read root depth and height alongside that angle.
What changes the answer
Brow prominence and forehead slope change the upper arm of the angle. Bridge slope changes the lower arm, so an identical angle can come from different nasal-root shapes.
Use these ranges to ask a better question about proportion—not to grade a face or choose a procedure by number alone. A qualified clinician still needs to examine function, tissue, skeletal structure, and your goals in person.
Connected facial features
Read or start nasal root discussions · Explore the interactive atlas