What is Facial Balancing?
You may have never heard this term before, but those of us in the injection world are talking about it all the time.
When we assess faces, we look at the face as a whole and then in sections. The sections I like are the upper face, mid-face, lower face, and neck. I also look at the right half compared to the left half.
We say all of the time that if we divided the face into two halves, they would be sisters but not IDENTICAL TWINS. The goal is NEVER perfect symmetry but balance. We all have one side of our faces that is more contoured or has less volume, and the other side generally has more volume. These differences are who make us who we are, and we don’t necessarily want to make that go away completely. The issue is over time, and with aging and genetics, the imbalance between sides grows more and more and can begin to distract from our attractiveness. It also causes us to send “emotional messages” with our faces that we may not be intending. For example, RBF, looking tired, sad, or angry when we are not, etc.
Then, we look at the width and height of the forehead in contrast with the width and height of the middle part of the face. Then, the width and the length of the lower face and how it compares or balances with the upper and middle face. We truly are the sum of our parts and no one part needs to get all of the attention. If all we treat are the lines of motion in the forehead with Botox Cosmetic and nothing else, over time, imbalances will become apparent. If all we treat are the lips and the rest of the face is sagging around them what have we accomplished? Do you look better overall…..not really.
I tell my patients all the time that I am not a line chaser. They may fixate on one line that I do not think takes away from their attractiveness and miss the forest for the trees to so speak. That is why you choose an experienced injector who assesses the whole face. Most patients fear looking fake or unnatural to the point they avoid seeking treatment. Let me tell you that treating only specific lines or being a line chaser is how you look “fake” or “done”. It’s like doing a lot of filler and not ever making the canvas (the skin) look better. You have a contoured face that is not luminous and does not reflect light in a youthful fashion; therefore, you do not have as great of an impact for the best aesthetic result.
At Glow, we primarily use Allergan products. There are lots of reasons for this but they have “on-label” or FDA approved treatments for almost 90% of the face. This is great news because this is how we accomplish Facial Balancing in the safest and most scientific manner. This matters because this is how you get the best aesthetic care.
So to sum it up to get the best, most natural looking results you have to assess, consider, and treat the full face. This is how you avoid looking “fake”. Our faces are typically more balanced when we are younger and as time marches on we become less “balanced”. By restoring balance you can look more like a refreshed younger version of yourself and isn’t that what we all want??
Written by Jenny Guthrie, APRN-CNP, CEO
