Facial features and proportions Inaccuracies in facial reconstruction

Many factors contribute towards inaccuracy in facial reconstruction (George, 1993):

• Soft tissue does not fit the face like a glove.
• The endless number of facial variation.
• Faces age at different rates and different intensities.
• The nutritional status of the face is unpredictable.
• Small Variations of the eye, nose and ear cannot be deduced from the skull.
• Soft tissue of the lips and chin vary independently from their underlying dental foundation.
• Facial hair pattern are unpredictable.
• Dermatological and pathological conditions are unpredictable.

To this list could also be added variation in the skill and interpretation of the person doing the reconstruction.

What is hoped for is that an approximation based on the proper alignment of features will spark a memory that will generate a lead (George, 1993). So, although it is impossible to predict the details of the of the eye, nose, ear and lips from the skull, it is possible to accurately position these feature within and around their bony substrate. This positioning alone may be enough to create the approximation needed for recognition (George, 1993).

Prerequisites for for accurate reconstruction

• know what the living face looks and feels like
• must understand the idealised geometry of the face
• must know the facial anatomy

Various problems arise from the above.

1. Artists skills and styles varies a lot. If other sources of inaccuracy could be minimised, this would not be a big factor. Different artists drawing the same person will still produce a recognisable image.
2. No standard set of measurements or method for measurements exists. Various tables have been produced, each using the method available to the researcher.
3. Different methods used to to produce a reconstruction also lead to different results.