Asian Facial Bone contouring

Benefits of Asian Facial Bone contouring

Facial bones form the foundation of the face on which the soft tissue envelope drapes. While much of facial cosmetic surgery focuses on the soft tissue element — with procedures such as a facelift or brow lift — changing the soft tissue alone without changing the underlying hard skeleton has limitations in terms of how much a patient’s appearance can be enhanced. Shaping of the underlying skeletal structures can at times bring about dramatic facial feature changes that cannot occur through soft tissue manipulation.

For Asian patients, the goals of facial bone contouring commonly include:

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  Tapering the jaw angle to reduce a square, bulky or masculine jaw
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  Building up a weak or receding chin
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  Refining a protruding chin
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  Sculpting a more pointed chin shape
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  Reducing protruding cheekbones
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  Adding balanced volume in the mid-face
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  Correcting an overbite or underbite
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  Narrowing the width of the face
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  Enhancing facial symmetry and harmony
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  Creating a more oval or heart-shaped facial profile

Bone contouring is one of the most impactful forms of plastic surgery because the facial skeleton is the foundation of the face. Changing the foundation, and not just the soft tissues, can achieve significant yet naturally pleasing results.

What to Expect

In working with Asian patients, our plastic surgeons are careful to create a cosmetic result that doesn’t necessarily eliminate all traces of your ethnic identity, but rather refines it to create a more attractive and harmonious overall look.

The complexity of facial contouring surgery procedures is significant. Therefore, an individualised treatment plan is generated for each of our patients — because no two faces are alike. When you visit Asian Plastic Surgery for your consultation, your surgeon will take your entire face into consideration to establish a comprehensive surgical plan that works toward your optimum satisfaction and happiness.

It is critical to note that modifying one feature of the face may change the overall impression your appearance gives. Therefore, having a thorough consultation with a qualified plastic surgeon who understands the unique anatomic structure and aesthetic goals of Asian patients. Ultimately, the procedure will be customised based on your desires, goals and the extent of correction you hope to achieve.

Common Procedures

Cheekbone Reduction or Augmentation
Prominence of the cheekbones creates a wide, broad face that is seen as undesirable in some Asian cultures. A plastic surgeon can reduce excessively pronounced cheekbones using a combination of bone shaving and bone cutting techniques. The result is a more sculpted look with an oval or heart-shaped face. For patients with the opposite concern — an overly flat mid-face — cheekbone augmentation can be achieved with an implant or a demineralised bone allograft. 

Jawline Reshaping
‍The jawbone can be very prominent in Asian populations, leading to a widened lower face or strong, defined jawline that some women consider too masculine. The angle of the jaw can be softened to create a more delicate appearance that is elegant, feminine and proportionate. Several techniques are available to transform the jaw from the frontal view as well as the side view. Jawline reduction is a cosmetic operation and is not intended to affect the ability to chew or speak. 

Chin Advancement or Reduction
‍Chin surgery (genioplasty) can accomplish various goals depending on a patient’s objective. It is commonly used to bring a receding chin forward, push a protruding chin back or adjust the chin horizontally to correct asymmetry. Regardless of the specific concerns being addressed, the ultimate goal of genioplasty is improving facial harmony. Reshaping the chin is done by repositioning the bone supporting the chin. For patients desiring chin augmentation, genioplasty is a natural and permanent alternative to dermal fillers or a chin implant.

V-Line Surgery
‍V-line surgery is a specialised cosmetic procedure that combines chin surgery and jaw surgery to achieve a more slender and feminine lower face shape. To refine a patient’s appearance with V-line surgery, the bone is filed down and a portion of bone is removed. Adjustments are made through incisions inside the mouth, so there are no external scars. This procedure can significantly alter the shape of the face from square to oval by reducing jaw width and creating a sharper, better-defined chin profile.

Facial Implants
Facial implants come in many sizes and shapes, and can even be custom-made for an individual patient. Chin implants can benefit patients who feel they have a ‘weak’ chin or square-faced patients who desire a more oval face shape. Jaw implants can be utilised to create a more graceful, angular or strong jawline that enhances the contours of the lower face. Cheek implants increase the projection of the mid-face and add volume to areas that appear recessed or flat. These are the most common areas to enhance with facial implants. 

Two-Jaw Surgery
Two-jaw surgery, or double jaw surgery, is a corrective procedure that addresses both aesthetic and functional skeletal issues. Candidates for this operation may have a protruding jaw, an abnormally long face or chin, an abnormal bite, sleep apnea, facial pain or reduced jaw function. Two-jaw surgery can also help create a slimmer, v-shaped and more feminine facial bone structure. Because the procedure reshapes the jawbones themselves, it can be applied to a wide range of issues pertaining to the two jaws and how they interact with one another.