FACIAL CONTOURING
without surgery

What is facial contouring ?

Aesthetic medicine techniques are increasingly replacing surgery for facial treatment. Treatment plans have developed to such an extent that an experienced doctor can completely transform a face.
Hyaluronic acid and botulinum toxin injections are the two leading techniques in facial contouring.
For some indications, a few syringes are sufficient. However, depending on the patient’s anatomy and aesthetic goals, a comprehensive facial treatment using ten to twenty syringes may be considered.
Facial enhancement techniques owe much to Brazilian plastic surgeon Mauricio di Maio, who devised MD Codes and developed a new approach to treatment.
Not every doctor offers this treatment, which requires a trained eye for beauty and facial proportions as well as complete technical mastery.

The pursuit of beauty and rejuvenation is a continuing concern for many of us. Advanced facial enhancement options can now bring out the face’s beauty without major surgery. Modern techniques and innovative products make natural, harmonious results possible, helping improve self-confidence and general wellbeing.

Facial areas treated with Contouring

Any facial feature can be treated, but the most commonly treated areas are :
• Cheekbones : adding volume here can slim facial features and create a younger, more structured appearance.
• Chin : a well-defined chin gives the face structure and improves its outline and symmetry.
• Jawline : jaw contouring strengthens definition and creates a more assertive, harmonious face.
• Nose : by improving nasal shape and symmetry, injectable contouring achieves natural results without surgery.
• Temples and forehead : treating these areas can balance facial proportions, particularly where there are hollows.

Facial contouring techniques in aesthetic medicine

Facial contouring draws on several aesthetic medicine techniques, which can be combined to achieve an overall harmonious result.

Hyaluronic acid

Hyaluronic acid is the product most frequently used for facial contouring. Its hydrating and volumising properties restore or create volume, improve wrinkles and safely soften features. Used particularly to fill the cheekbones, reshape the chin or define the jawline, this versatile product delivers immediate, natural results. As it is gradually absorbed, results can also be adjusted over time.

Sculptra

Sculptra is a poly-L-lactic acid biostimulator used to increase skin density and firmness by stimulating natural collagen production. It is particularly effective at restoring volume gradually, producing subtle but lasting results. Sculptra is ideal for patients seeking a natural improvement in skin quality and volume, particularly around the temples, cheeks and areas where skin density has declined over time.

Botulinum toxin

Botulinum toxin is mainly used to relax the muscles responsible for certain expression lines.

Benefits of facial contouring

Medical contouring is a method that is :
• Natural and subtle : it aims to enhance natural features with a discreet yet noticeable result.
• Nonsurgical : these techniques are non-invasive, involve no incisions and require no prolonged recovery.
• Personalised : each treatment is tailored to the patient’s specific needs.
• Immediate and lasting in its results : improvements are visible from the first session and reach their optimum a few weeks later.
• Risk-free and adaptable : results can be adjusted over time to suit age-related facial changes and the patient’s wishes.

How a facial Contouring session proceeds

A personalised consultation assesses the patient’s needs and expectations and analyses the face to determine the most suitable injection technique. Once the plan is established, the treatment area is disinfected and precise injections are performed according to the agreed goals to shape and balance facial contours. Each product is injected at a particular depth and at precisely defined points, according to the volume desired and the structure to correct or reinforce. A session usually lasts between 30 minutes and one hour, depending on the areas and techniques involved.
After injection, Dr Romano provides aftercare instructions to optimise results and minimise possible side effects. These are usually minor, involving slight redness or swelling that soon subsides. Patients can resume their normal activities immediately, with a contouring effect visible from the first session.
Results then continue to improve gradually over the following weeks.

Contouring : what results can you expect ?

Facial contouring results appear immediately with hyaluronic acid, after one week with botulinum toxin and after a few months with Sculptra. They last around one year.
Patients notice a more defined, harmonious face.
Injectable facial contouring can now produce measurable, reproducible improvements in facial structure and harmony. Hyaluronic acid injections have demonstrated their effectiveness in restoring midface and lower-face volume, improving cheekbone projection and redefining the chin and jawline. These changes are accompanied by significantly improved aesthetic scores and high patient satisfaction, as shown in prospective clinical studies and literature reviews (Carruthers et al., 2011 ; Sundaram et al., 2015 ; de Maio et al., 2019).
Sculptra® (poly-L-lactic acid) works differently, stimulating new collagen formation. This gradually improves skin firmness and facial support, with natural, lasting results frequently maintained for up to 24 months, as confirmed by clinical studies and literature reviews (Vleggaar & Fitzgerald, 2008 ; Lowe et al., 2009).
Together, these findings confirm that medical contouring based on thorough anatomical assessment and a considered combination of techniques can improve facial aesthetics and deliver harmonious, lasting, scientifically validated results.

TikTok’s “53 method” : a comparable effect… with injections (without make-up)

Popularised on TikTok, the « 53 method » attracted considerable attention for its visual effect : a slimmer-looking face and a more defined jawline. Aesthetic medicine can create a comparable contouring result through a three-dimensional strategy of targeted injections rather than a two-dimensional graphic effect. This treatment aims to slim, structure and work with facial light and shade in a lasting, natural way.
Supporting the upper third of the face is a key step. Hyaluronic acid injections around the cheekbones and malar area, sometimes complemented by temple treatment, restore tissue support, create a gentle lifting effect and better define the transition between the cheeks and jawline. This tightening gives features greater definition. In patients with a general lack of support, fat loss or early laxity, collagen stimulators such as Sculptra reinforce deeper facial structure. This technique improves the quality of the skin’s framework and gradually restores volume, with results lasting two years.
The aim is not to copy a line or standardised visual effect, but to pursue the same aesthetic intention as the trend : balanced facial architecture combining appropriate support, modulation of excessive muscle force and gradual volume restoration.
This creates a more harmonious, slimmer and natural-looking face without relying on an optical illusion.

Patient opinions on facial contouring

Patients who undergo facial contouring are generally satisfied with their results. They appreciate subtle but noticeable changes to their features, greater self-confidence and a sense of rejuvenation without an artificial transformation. Their feedback confirms the effectiveness and safety of these techniques in providing personalised, lasting and natural results.

Frequently asked questions about facial contouring