HealthCert Blog

A common request among patients seeking aesthetic injectable treatments is that they want to look “more beautiful”. Facial beauty is not objective or easily definable, yet it is frequently sought. So how can doctors assess a patient’s needs and propose a treatment plan that will both rejuvenate and beautify the patient’s appearance while also maintaining a natural look?

One of the easily recognised aspects of a “beautiful face” is its shape, which offers a perception of a person’s age, gender, and attractiveness. Addressing the anatomical structure of the face is the basis for an aesthetic approach to administering dermal fillers – a commonly sought injectable treatment.

As such, identifying and addressing a patient’s facial shape can be a good starting point in the facial assessment and a customised treatment plan.

A study recently published in The Indian Journal of Plastic Surgery discussed the characteristics of different facial shapes (oval, heart, round, and angular). It described the optimal methods for planning injectable dermal fillers based on the strengths and weaknesses of each facial morphology.

The authors proposed a two-step technique for planning dermal fillers based on the shape of the patient’s face:

1. Improve the contours and proportions of the face (based on the patient’s specific facial shape) using “high-elasticity or high-density hyaluronic acid gels or composite gel matrix of hyaluronic acid (70%) and calcium hydroxyapatite (30%)”.
2. Blend the areas treated and correct remaining areas of shadowing with softer gels and superficial placement in the subcutaneous plane.

The authors wrote: “The evaluation of the face shape can help doctors to define the priorities of the aesthetic approach [and] determine the areas that need to be restored [or] enhanced. […]

“Capturing the essence which makes each patient unique is paramount.”

They hope that the study will provide an insight into how to plan effective injectable dermal filler treatments.

Read the full study here.

To learn more, please join us at the next Certificate Courses in Aesthetic Medicine.

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