Artistically Treating the Entire Face

It is common for a patient to come in for a consultation appointment and request one area to be treated. For example, maybe you have a young twenty year old patient that is only requesting lip filler. What patients do not always understand is that as an injector we are assessing the entire face comprehensively. It would be a disservice to the patient if we were only looking at one area of the face and avoiding all other areas of the face. The patient is paying not only for the products you are using, but also your expertise and judgment as an experienced injector. This area of medicine is called facial esthetics for a reason, right? This is where a consultation and full facial assessment should take place.

If a patient is requesting under eye filler, assess their cheek and midface support. If the patient is lacking support in the midface, under eye filler does not have the proper support to stay where it is placed. If the patient is wanting lip filler, ensure that they have proper chin projection. If the patient is lacking chin projection, adding lip filler could upset the appropriate balance of their face and the lips may appear “ducky”. When a patient is requesting cheek filler, you must evaluate their temples to avoid exacerbating any hollowness or concavity. If a patient is wanting a more defined jawline, they also need chin filler to achieve a more uniform jawline.

When assessing your patient, it is helpful to break the face down into thirds. The first ⅓ of the face is from the hairline to the eyebrows. The second ⅓ is from the eyebrows to the base of the nose. The final ⅓ is from the base of the nose to the bottom of the chin. You can then continue assessing down the neck and to the décolletage. In assessing these areas, consider both skin wrinkles and volume loss. Think about how botulinum toxin, dermal fillers, and PDO threads can work together to help achieve positive results.