Posted by Dr. Anil R. Shah
Many patients request making their face thinner. There are several approaches to thinning the face. The most common areas that patients look at is buccal fat. Buccal fat is a distinctly different type of facial fat: while most of facial fat resides in sporadic areas under the skin, buccal fat is a distinct pod of fat. Removing this pod of fat that burrows deep in the cheeks can result in a thinning of the face and a gradual contoured effect. However, this by itself does not completely thin a full face for some patients.
Another common area to thin a full face is targeting the masseter muscle. The use of botulinum toxin or other neuromodulators can enhance this by weakening the muscle strength to thin the angle of the jaw. This is particularly important if the patient’s jaw sticks out farther or more lateral with the patient’s cheek bones. Thinning this out can make the most prominent portion of the face the cheek bones. In most patients’ faces, to create that shadowed contour, patients can achieve this easily with an enhanced cheek and slimming the jawline.
The use of fillers along the under eye area and lateral cheek bone is another constructive component for achieving the thin face look. While it may sound counterproductive to place filler to ultimately thin the face, the use of filler can build lateral cheeks for a downward pointing contoured angle. Applying filler in the hollows of the under eyes can reduce the tired look that draws attention towards the center of the face, and thus gives a more attractive outcome to face shape. This can also help patients create a more balanced, proportional, attractive, and photogenic appearance.
