Facial Profile

Your result, the one DNA position behind it, and what the research says.

5/10 confidence.

About Facial Profile

Faces differ in vertical proportion: how tall the face is between brow and chin relative to its width. Orthodontists have measured this for a century and call the extremes long-face and short-face patterns. RUNX2 is the master switch that turns cells into bone-builders, and it sets the pace at which the facial skeleton grows, so it is a mechanically sensible place for such differences to originate.

Good to know: Facial proportion is measured on x-rays, not by eye. RUNX2 sets the pace at which the facial skeleton grows. Face shape draws on very many genes, so any single one contributes little.

Fun fact: RUNX2 carries neighboring runs of glutamines and alanines, and the ratio between their lengths tracks with facial length, both across dog breeds and across carnivore species.

Discovery: RUNX2 variants were tied to vertical facial patterns in orthodontic genetics.

The Variant

The single variant behind this trait

Gene: RUNX2

Variant (rsID): rs1200425

Location: Chr 6:45,559,395

dbSNP rs1200425

The studies

Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in RUNX2 and BMP2 contributes to different vertical facial profile (Reis CLB et al., PloS one, 2024)

Other lifestyle traits

Sensitivity to Chewing Sounds: A variant near the TENM2 gene, weakly associated with finding the sound of other people chewing unusually irritating.

Earlobe Size: A variant on chromosome 1 linked in a large study to whether the earlobe hangs free or is joined to the head, and in one much smaller study to lobe size.

Earwax & Body Odor: A single ABCC11 variant sets whether your earwax is wet or dry - and tracks with how much underarm odor you produce.

Back to All Traits

Content updated September 2026.

ReadYourDNA provides educational interpretation of DNA data you already have. It is not diagnostic, not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Talk to a clinician before acting on any result.

Raw DNA Data Reports for 23andMe & AncestryDNA · About ReadYourDNA · FAQ · Methodology & Science · Pricing · Support and complaints · Legal & Contact · Health Traits · Pharmacogenomics · Carrier Status · Variant Explorer · The Human Karyotype · Privacy Policy · Terms of Service · Accessibility · Consumer Health Data Privacy · Your Privacy Choices · Editorial Standards · Your Data, Checkable · Sample Report · ReadYourDNA and Promethease compared · What is inside a 23andMe raw data file · What is inside an AncestryDNA raw data file · What a chatbot can and cannot do with your raw DNA file · Where a raw DNA file can still be uploaded in 2026

Written, maintained and operated by Martin Pechhacker, sole proprietor, Vienna, Austria. Trade register GISA 40064420. support@readyourdna.com