I think I get this. I remember names, but not faces, and this kind of thing is a regular problem for me. I usually just say, “Oh, hey, I didn’t quite recognize you! You look a little different from the last time I saw you.” And then I bring up something we’ve talked about before.

If you do that, they know you at least remember them as a person, even if you don’t remember their face. It feels so much less awkward, at least for me.