The Profile

Although we usually look at ourselves from the front, an unsightly profile causes significant social distress. People with a profile they dislike know very well that they are being observed in profile. Of course, there is no standard profile, but depending on different ethnicities, the perception of profile beauty changes.

However, everyone seeks a certain harmony in the proportion and projections of the facial elements; it is precisely these elements that create a profile unique to each of us.

Profile disharmony, in the majority of cases, can arise from an imbalance in six facial units:

• an overly prominent forehead,
• the position of the eyes,
• an overly projected nose,
• lips of disharmonious volume,
• disharmonious chin projection,
• an excessively open cervico-mental angle.

The first two factors require major treatment, if possible, and usually fall within the scope of craniofacial surgery rather than cosmetic surgery.

The other four factors listed can benefit from cosmetic surgery.

Given the complexity of the issues, intervention on several parts of the face may be necessary. Only an experienced plastic surgeon familiar with all useful techniques can analyse the harmony of your face and genuinely advise you.

All facial segments must be carefully analysed so that the best possible harmony can be created, which is impossible for the patient to do themselves as it is an extremely complex exercise.

In patient requests, we most often find a receding chin, a nose that is too or insufficiently projected, a nasal hump, an excessively open cervico-mental angle, or thin lips.

• For an overly projected nose with a nasal hump, we can propose:
  • rhinoplasty
  • possibly combined with non-surgical rhinoplasty using hyaluronic acid filling
• For lips that are not harmonious with your face, we can propose:
  • shortening of the upper lip (lip lift)
  • lip volume augmentation with your own fat (lipofilling) or with hyaluronic acid
• For a chin with disharmonious projection, we propose:
  • reduction genioplasty to reduce chin projection,
  • advancement genioplasty (to project the chin further),
    • with a chin prosthesis,
    • or more simply filling with your own fat, lipofilling or hyaluronic acid
• For an unsightly cervico-mental angle, we can propose:
  • submental liposuction,
  • cervical facelift often combined with a facial facelift,
  • platysmaplasty,
  • simple skin excision is rarely proposed, mainly in older men with very disabling cervical skin laxity.

It is the proportions of the face that create the beauty of the profile.