Why is the baby's face different in size?

After a newborn is born, the body begins to enter a state of rapid development. When the baby is sleeping, due to problems with the pillow or sleeping posture, the two sides of the baby's face will be of different sizes, which will affect the child's image when he grows up. This condition is also called "hemihypertrophy" in medicine. Let us understand why the two sides of the baby's face are of different sizes?

Hemihypertrophy, also known as unilateral hypertrophy, refers to the gradual and asymmetrical hypertrophy of the limbs and trunk on one side of the body. It often first affects the face and is called hemifacial hypertrophy.

It mainly occurs in infants and young children, progresses slowly, and stops developing on its own in adolescence. It is even rarer for the disease to start in adults. Hemihypertrophy mainly invades soft tissues, manifested by thickening and pigmentation of the skin in the hypertrophic area, increased hair growth, increased sweating, capillary dilation and skin flushing. Bone hyperplasia may occur in the limbs and trunk, and in severe cases, macrodactyly, syndactyly, polydactyly, scoliosis, pelvic abnormalities and arched feet may occur.

The exact cause of hemihypertrophy is still unclear. It can be divided into two categories. One is congenital (primary) hemihypertrophy, in which the left and right sides of the body organs are asymmetrical, which may be caused by the fertilized egg splitting into two cells of different sizes; the other is acquired (secondary) hemihypertrophy, in which there may be hemangiomas or local changes in the blood circulation and lymphatic systems on the same side, such as pathological communication between arteries, caused by increased blood flow. Some people believe that this disease is related to endocrine disorders and autonomic nervous system dysfunction, while others believe that this disease is related to biased education in adolescence.

The above is the explanation for the different sizes of the two sides of the baby's face. Although it is affected by certain genetic factors, most of the reasons are due to incorrect acquired posture or squeezing by external objects. Therefore, we must pay attention to the baby's daily behavior habits and avoid causing more serious consequences due to some small mistakes.