In a face detection system based on template matching, histogram equalization or log transform is applied to an input image for the intensity normalization and the image improvement. It is known that they are noneffective in improving an image with intensity distortion by illumination variation. In this paper, we propose an efficient image improvement method using a simple regression analysis combined with a bilateral symmetry average for images with intensity distortion by illumination variation. Experimental results show that our method delivers the detection performance better than previous methods and also remarkably reduces the number of face candidates.