COSMETIC SURGERY

Facial augmentation

Achieving facial balance and an attractive profile – typically the relationship between the nose and the chin – contributes to what we call a 'beautiful face'. Even the most celebrated faces have imperfections. Increasing understanding of the volumes of the face has led to more detailed evaluations of the aspects related to facial proportions, whether in terms of youthful appearance or beauty.

For example, when the chin is relatively small (retrogenia or microgenia) it makes the nose appear more prominent. A more holistic approach, combining nose reshaping and chin enhancement, can lead to a more balanced and pleasing profile.

Underdevelopment of the cheekbones (Malar hypoplasia) is another example of facial disproportion which if severe, can also lead to poor alignment of the teeth, requiring more radical surgical procedures. However, in most instances, this is a relatively mild or moderate problem that is associated with a flatter appearance of the face, but also with the appearance of lower lid bags or deep naso-labial lines (running from the side of the nose to the corners of the mouth) even in the young. This can be improved with augmentation techniques, using either implants or bones in the malar region or around the base of the nose.