Aesthetic-oriented medicine techniques are increasingly replacing surgical procedures for facial treatment. Treatment plans have evolved so much that it is now possible, for an experienced physician, to completely transform a face.
Hyaluronic acid injections and botulinum toxin injections are the two flagship techniques for facial contouring.
In certain indications, a few syringes of product are sufficient. Nevertheless, depending on the patient’s anatomy and the desired aesthetic objective, a global facial treatment may be considered, requiring the use of ten to twenty syringes.
Facial enhancement techniques owe a great deal to the Brazilian plastic surgeon Mauricio di Maio, who invented the MD Codes and developed a new approach to care.
Not all physicians offer this type of treatment, which requires an eye trained in beauty and facial proportions as well as perfect technical mastery.
The quest for beauty and rejuvenation is a constant concern for many of us. Today, there are advanced solutions for facial enhancement, solutions that make it possible to highlight the face without resorting to heavy surgical procedures. Thanks to modern techniques and innovative products, it is possible to achieve natural and harmonious results, which helps to improve self-confidence and overall well-being.
Any element of the face can be treated, but the areas most often treated are :
• The cheekbones : adding volume to the cheekbones helps refine the features and gives the face a younger and more structured appearance.
• The chin : a well-defined chin provides structure to the face and improves the oval shape and symmetry.
• The jawline : jaw contouring helps strengthen the mandibular line and makes the face appear more defined and harmonious.
• The nose : by improving the shape and symmetry of the nose, injection-based contouring offers a natural result, without surgery.
• The temples and the forehead : treating the temples and the forehead can balance facial proportions, especially if certain areas are hollow.
Facial contouring relies on various aesthetic medicine techniques, which can be combined for a comprehensive and harmonious result.
The hyaluronic acid is the most commonly used product for facial contouring. Its hydrating and volumizing properties make it possible to restore or create volume, improve wrinkles, and soften facial features safely. Used in particular for cheek augmentation, chin reshaping, or definition of the mandibular line, hyaluronic acid is a versatile product that ensures immediate and natural results. Its progressive resorption also makes it possible to adjust the results over time.
The Sculptra is a bio-stimulation product based on poly-L-lactic acid, used to densify and firm the skin by stimulating the natural production of collagen. It is particularly effective in restoring volume progressively, offering a subtle yet long-lasting result. Sculptra is ideal for patients who seek a natural improvement in skin quality and volume, particularly in the temples, cheeks, and areas where the skin has lost density over time.
The botulinum toxin is mainly used to relax the muscles responsible for certain expression lines.
Medical contouring is a method :
• Natural and subtle : the goal is to enhance natural features, with a discreet yet impactful result.
• Without surgery : these techniques are non-invasive, involve no incisions, and do not require a prolonged recovery period.
• Customizable : each treatment is tailored to the specific needs of the patient, the approach is made-to-measure.
• The results are immediate and long-lasting : results are visible from the first session and optimal a few weeks later.
• Safe and adaptable : it is possible to modulate the results over time, adapting to facial changes related to aging and to the patient’s wishes.
A personalized consultation is carried out to assess the patient’s needs and expectations and to analyze their face in order to determine the most appropriate injection technique.
Once the treatment plan has been established, the area to be treated is disinfected, then the injection is performed with precision, according to the defined objectives, to shape and harmonize the contours of the face. Each product is injected at a specific depth and at precisely defined points, depending on the desired volume and the structure to be corrected or enhanced. The session generally lasts between 30 minutes and one hour, depending on the areas treated and the techniques used.
After the injection, Dr Romano provides post-treatment instructions to optimize the results and minimize any potential side effects. These are most often minor, presenting as slight redness or discreet swelling, which fade quickly. Patients can resume their usual activities immediately after the procedure, benefiting from a contouring effect visible from the first session. The result then continues to improve progressively over the following weeks.
The results of facial contouring are visible immediately for hyaluronic acid, one week later for botulinum toxin and a few months later for Sculptra. They last approximately one year.
Patients observe a better-defined, more harmonious face.
Facial contouring through injections now makes it possible to obtain measurable and reproducible results on facial structure and harmony. Hyaluronic acid injections have demonstrated their effectiveness in restoring volumes of the middle and lower thirds of the face, improving cheek projection, as well as redefining the chin and the mandibular line. These effects are accompanied by a significant improvement in aesthetic scores and a high level of patient satisfaction, as shown by several prospective clinical studies and literature reviews (Carruthers et al., 2011 ; Sundaram et al., 2015 ; de Maio et al., 2019).
Sculptra® (poly-L-lactic acid) acts through a distinct mechanism, by stimulating neocollagenesis. This action allows a progressive improvement in skin firmness and facial support, with natural and long-lasting results, frequently maintained for up to 24 months, as confirmed by several clinical studies and literature reviews (Vleggaar & Fitzgerald, 2008 ; Lowe et al., 2009).
All of these data confirm that medical contouring, when based on a rigorous anatomical analysis and a reasoned combination of different techniques, makes it possible not only to improve facial aesthetics, but also to obtain harmonious, durable, and scientifically validated results.
Popularized on TikTok, the “method 53” has generated strong enthusiasm because of its visual effect : a face appearing slimmer and a better-defined oval. In aesthetic-oriented medicine, it is possible to create a comparable contouring result, not through a two-dimensional graphic effect, but through a three-dimensional approach based on a strategy of targeted injections. This management aims to refine, structure, and play with the areas of shadow and light of the face, in a durable and natural way.
Support of the upper third of the face is a key step. The injection of hyaluronic acid in the cheekbones and the malar area, sometimes complemented by treatment of the temples, helps restore tissue support, achieve a slight lifting effect, and better define the transition between the cheeks and the facial oval. This re-tensioning makes the features appear sharper.
In patients presenting a lack of overall support, fat loss, or early laxity, the use of collagen inducers such as Sculptra makes it possible to strengthen the deep structure of the face. This technique improves the quality of the skin framework and restores volumes progressively, with a result that lasts two years.
The objective is not to reproduce a standardized outline or visual effect, but to pursue the same aesthetic intention carried by the trend : to build a balanced facial architecture, combining appropriate support, modulation of excessive muscular force, and progressive restoration of volumes, in order to obtain a more harmonious, refined, and natural face, without relying on a simple optical effect.
Patients who undergo facial contouring generally report being satisfied with the results. They appreciate discreet yet perceptible modifications of their features, as well as an improvement in their self-confidence and a feeling of rejuvenation without the impression of an artificial transformation. Feedback confirms both the effectiveness and the safety of these techniques, which make it possible to achieve personalized, durable, and natural results.
To refine the face with contouring, it is possible to use makeup techniques or aesthetic treatments such as hyaluronic acid injections. Makeup consists in playing with shadows and highlights, while injections make it possible to durably redefine the contours of the face, notably the mandibular line, the cheekbones, and the chin.
Effective contouring relies on the application of two shades :
• A dark shade to hollow out and refine certain areas (hollows of the cheeks, jawline contour, bridge of the nose).
• A light shade or highlighter to emphasize areas of light (top of the cheekbones, bridge of the nose, center of the forehead, chin).
Blending is essential to achieve a natural and harmonious result.
To maintain the results, it is recommended :
• To schedule maintenance sessions every 12 to 18 months.
• To adopt a hydrating skincare routine to prolong the volumizing effect.
• To avoid excessive sun exposure and use sun protection.
• To maintain a healthy lifestyle (hydration, balanced diet) to optimize the longevity of the treatment.
Hyaluronic acid injections offer an immediate and natural result, without surgery. The procedure is quick, minimally invasive, and post-treatment effects are generally mild. Hyaluronic acid also makes it possible to personalize the treatment by precisely targeting the areas to be treated, with reversible effects if necessary.
Yes, the results of hyaluronic acid injections are reversible. The product is resorbable.
Absolutely. Facial contouring with injections is highly suitable for men. Commonly treated areas include the jawline, chin, and cheekbones to enhance facial structure and definition. The results remain natural while preserving masculine features.
