If you banish every wrinkle and remove all your spots, but something still doesn’t look right, it could be a matter of unbalanced facial proportions. Without proper proportions, an area can prevent the face from looking in sync, which is where facial balance comes into play.
According to Encino, California plastic surgeon George Sanders, MD, facial balancing involves the strategic placement of fillers or fat injections in areas lacking volume. “It’s not about flooding someone with filler, it’s about looking at their unique face and creating a custom design.”
The importance of facial balance
The key to natural beauty
Facial balancing is finally getting the attention it deserves, thanks to a greater emphasis on universal facial rejuvenation. Scottsdale, AZ facial plastic surgeon Kelly Bomer, MD says that with properly balanced features, a holistic sense of symmetry and harmony leads to improved attractiveness. Northbrook, IL plastic surgeon Michael A. Epstein, MD agrees, adding that aesthetically beautiful faces have specific proportions and relationships between different features.
“A well-balanced face gives the impression of natural beauty without obvious signs of cosmetic surgery,” says Kirkland, WA facial plastic surgeon Daniel J. Liebertz, MD. “With the often excessive use of fillers, many patients are now looking for a more balanced appearance to avoid looking overdone.”
Why the imbalance occurs
There are several reasons why a face may appear unbalanced. “It can result from a disproportionately large nose, cheeks or chin that don’t stick out too much, a large forehead, or even ears that can stick out too much or be too big,” says Dr. Epstein. Or, more often, it is a result of natural aging.
With age, facial features lose collagen and elastin and the internal structure weakens, affecting their support. This can result in noticeable asymmetries and an unbalanced appearance.
Typically, younger faces look more proportional because, as New York facial plastic surgeon John Kang, MD, explains, healthy, abundant soft tissue hides bony asymmetries and disharmony. “This curtain of soft tissue deteriorates with gravity and laxity, causing the face to lose its inherent youthful balance. It’s impossible to look younger and reverse the hands of time without dealing with the balance all over again.”
When the face is out of balance, Dr. Liebertz says the human eye will be drawn to the features that stand out. “For example, very heavy upper eyelids can make an otherwise youthful and healthy face look older and tired.”
Can better facial balance lead to better aging?
Younger faces may also experience a lack of proper facial balance. Dr. Bomer has helped young women in their early 30s achieve better balanced facial aesthetics from the frontal and side views. “Starting early with balancing procedures can be helpful in the long run, especially when using neurotoxins to adjust muscle tension, which can pull the face out of proportion.”
Non-invasive facelift procedures appeal to a wider subset of people because they are less invasive than a total makeover such as a facelift. While Dr. Liebertz says most patients are good candidates for facial balancing, those who are bothered by noticeable asymmetries or uneven proportions appreciate balancing results the most. The results may also contribute to more improved age-related changes.
Filler vs. Surgery: Which to Choose?
Both fillers and surgery can achieve better facial balance, but should you go under the knife? Not necessarily.
“It all depends on the patient’s goals and anatomy,” says Dr. Liebertz.
Different parts of the face respond to different treatments. For example, according to Dr. Kang, fat is often used to accentuate the cheeks, chin, nose and temples, while surgery is preferred for the eyes. “Ultimately, the physician will decide which is best based on factors such as the severity of the imbalance, as well as the patient’s condition, response to previous treatments, and overall treatment goals,” adds Dr. Saunders.
In addition to skin-related changes, Dr. Epstein shares that there is usually a loss of volume and sagging, which creates imbalances in the face with age. “Non-surgical fillers can restore lost volume, but surgical correction may be necessary. In these cases, facelift procedures, facial implants, or fat grafting can be performed to achieve “facial balance.”
The feature factor in Face Balancing
Correct symmetry and proportions are vital to achieving a well-balanced face, but there is no one-size-fits-all treatment. Sometimes, a combination of fillers, neurotoxins, and surgery may be required for proper facial balance.
“The size and shape of the eyes, nose, lips, and other facial features should be in harmony with each other, complementing the overall shape of the face and contributing to overall attractiveness,” explains Dr. Saunders. “The left and right sides of the face should be balanced, which is an important component of an attractive face.”
The chin
The role of the chin in the overall harmony and balance of the face is undeniable.
“The chin is the base of a beautiful vessel, which provides stability and strength to the base of the vessel,” says Dr. Kang. “A perfect chin should not stand out, but provide a behind-the-scenes feature that flatters other parts of the face.”
Too small a chin can emphasize slackness, jitteriness and poor jaw definition, accentuating the bluntness of the chin and neck area. On the other hand, too prominent a chin can make the lower third of the face appear more noticeable. And if the chin recedes, it can make the nose look large and the face look out of balance.
The nose
A nose that is too long or falls too far can distract from the frontal view and profile view. “From the side, it’s more attractive to have a balance between the projection of the nose, lips and chin, which we can achieve with injectables or surgery,” says Dr. Bomer.
Dr. Kang adds that reducing a large nasal bump or bulbous tip improves facial balance. “Often, correcting the nose with an injectable nose job—with an option for rhinoplasty surgery later—will bring about balance and harmony.”
The lips
Dr. Sanders says lip fillers can augment the lips to even out the lower face, but sometimes more chin definition is also needed to balance the face. “People like the fullness of the lips it creates, but some develop a skewed sense of what they look like, yet continue to pursue it, resulting in an unbalanced face.”
The cheeks
Regardless of whether filler or fat is used to enhance the cheeks, adding them can give a more defined appearance when volume is lacking. For some patients, erasing them, by removing oral fat, is the key to balance.
The Temples
Sunken, sunken temples can make the upper part of the face appear to fall inward. Restoring lost volume in the temples through fillers can add structure and balance to the face, especially if the face is naturally thin.
The Jawline
Dermal fillers are the easiest way to balance a weak jawline, which creates sharper angles to camouflage signs of aging and minimal sagging.
The eyes
A surgeon has many tools to hide the hollows and shadows under the eyes, which can detract from the good balance of the face. In some patients, eye treatment also requires addressing the brows, which Dr. Bomer says can appear more symmetrical than the front view with fillers and neurotoxins or a brow lift.
