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Dr Anna Hoo explains what functional beauty means

A gradual transformation with proper treatment planning based on Functional Beauty Concept .

A long-standing debate has always revolved around the subjectivity of beauty . Is beauty considered a magical quality that some faces have or does it lie “ in the eye of the beholder ?” Or is there true science behind beauty ?

Years ago , I asked myself what beauty meant to me .

It then occurred to me that beauty is when someone wakes up in the morning and looks at himself or herself in the mirror and finds oneself looking youthful , confident , and joyful . Beauty is the appearance that allows him / her to connect with people socially with ease and enables him / her to function optimally in life . This “ Functional Beauty Concept ” forms the basis of my belief in beauty creation and is the central pillar for my consultation , assessment , and treatment planning in my quest to help my patients to achieve a youthful , confident , and happy appearance .

Helping patients with facial rejuvenation and beautification is not solely about injecting Botulinum toxin A , filler , platelet-rich plasma , or energy-based device treatment according to the textbook , nor is it fashioning the facial features like those of a movie star . Rather , there is more to it . Like an architect , a doctor has to work closely with their patients to discuss their needs and expectations . While performing a consult , the doctor must align his / her idea of beauty with that of the patient and set a common goal / result . One fine example is the treatment for wrinkles . While most patients want a wrinkle-free face , the doctor needs to explain the importance of softening the wrinkles rather than making them disappear . A wrinkle-free face makes the face appear plastic and unnatural . The Botulinum

toxin A treatment should relax the face and soften the wrinkle and help ease the tension on the face pounded by the pressures of life . Importantly , the ability to conjure a facial expression needs to be preserved .

A similar principle applies to hyaluronic acid filler treatment . A common request is to remove the nasolabial line via filler injection . While this method might be workable for Caucasian faces , it does not for Asian faces . Asian faces are generally round and flat . Adding extra volume to the nasolabial fold will make the lower face heavier and puffy . Instead , the doctor should analyse the patient ’ s face individually and restore the face volume loss by adding volume to balance the facial volume , with a slight enhancement at the cheek and chin , to achieve an elegant , dimensional look .

The facial design process is based on the documented concept of beautiful proportions . This is the idea that “ ideal proportions ” is the secret of a beautiful face and perhaps is the oldest idea of the nature of beauty . Research has been done on the faces of attractive people in the world , and it was found that women who are considered beautiful have a similar facial ratio - the golden ratio . In a way , an aesthetic doctor is like an artist and designer . We improve one ’ s unique appearance to attain the golden ratio . This is done through the use of proven technology , e . g ., lasers or injectables , to assist our patients to achieve the desired results on their faces . The artist in the doctor enables him / her to design healthy and ageless complexions for their patients without making their faces look overdone . So it is clear to me , a combination of both art and science is required to achieve beauty .

Dr Anna Hoo is an aesthetic physician and medical director of the Anna Hoo Clinic , an anti-ageing and aesthetic group practice in Kuala Lumpur .

GlobalHealthAsiaPacific . com ISSUE 6 | 2022

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