The process for a forensic facial reconstruction from skeletal remains involves several stages.

The first is a thorough examination of the skull.

Facial reconstruction depends on understanding the specific geometry of the skull underneath, because the soft tissue of the face is built on that bony foundation.

The thickness of soft tissue at various points on the face is estimated using reference data from studies of how tissue depth relates to underlying bone, data collected from living individuals and from cadaver studies.

For historical specimens, the specific ancestry and sex of the individual affects these tissue depth estimates, because tissue depth varies across populations and between males and females.