Facial Contouring (Facial Sculpting) Surgery for Asians
The shape and characteristic features of the facial skeleton and its soft tissues are the fundamental determinants of facial appearance. A balanced proportion and symmetry of the forehead, nose, cheek, chin and jawline translate into a desirable and beautiful face. Variation in skeletal facial features, cartilaginous structures and soft tissue supports are the most important factors distinguishing people of different ethnic background. Caucasian faces tend to be longer and narrower than that of Asians. When seen in cross-section, it has a relatively higher anterior projection and decreased the width. The Caucasian noses are typical with a high nasal bridge, straight, well-defined tip projection and narrower nostrils.
Conversely, the Asian faces tend to be broader and shorter when observed from an anterior view. When seen in cross-section, it has a less anterior projection, and the transverse dimension is higher. Asian noses are typically shorter, poorly defined tip, broader nostrils and sit shallow on the face.
The facial appearance can be dramatically changed through facial contouring surgery by either augmenting the deficient areas or reducing the over-prominent areas. The reduction is usually made by reducing the bony areas, cartilage or soft tissues that are prominent, whereas augmentation is done by filling in spaces with one’s tissue (bone, cartilage or fat grafts) or with implants.
The main objective of facial contouring surgery is to create an ideal facial profile and restore facial harmony that suits individual needs and ethnicity. Facial contouring surgery should not be excessively performed to attain “Caucasian beauty” which is often perceived as “ideal human beauty” but rather to maintain an ideal non-ethnic specific beauty. In other words, its aesthetic goal is to create an attractive face based on the patient’s identity that blends harmoniously and not to create attractive Caucasian features on an Asian face.
Depending upon the requirements, facial contouring surgery can be done either as a single procedure or in combination with several surgical procedures. The list of facial contouring surgical procedures that are frequently performed to change facial skeletal, cartilaginous and soft tissue structures include:
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Facial Skeletal Changes: Forehead contouring surgery (feminisation surgery), cheek augmentation or cheek reduction (zygoma reduction), mandible angle reduction, orthognathic surgery and genioplasty
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Facial Cartilaginous Framework Changes: Rhinoplasty, alarplasty and otoplasty
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Facial Soft Tissue Changes: Blepharoplasty, canthoplasty, lip augmentation or reduction, masseter muscle reduction, buccal fat reduction and fat grafting.