Four vertical and three horizontal measurements were taken to assess the validity of neoclassical facial canons in 500 (272 female, 228 male) healthy, young adults between the ages of 18 and 25 years from Turkey and to compare them with a different population. The measurements were made by a millimetric compass. The special head height was longer than the special face height in the majority of our group (women/men: 97.8%/91.7%). The three-section facial profile canon was equal in only one male subject (women/men: 0/0.4%). Faces with four equal profile sections were not seen in either of the sexes. The nose length was longer than the ear length in the minority of our population (women/men: 1.5%/1.3%). The intercanthal distance was shorter than the nose width and left eye fissure length in the majority of our subjects (women/men: 50.4%/78.9% and 50.0%/52.2% respectively). The mouth width was greater than 1.5 times the nose width in the majority of this study (women/men: 66.9% vs 49.1%).