What is facial contour
Facial contour is the outline of the face: the line that runs from the ear to the chin, the jaw angle, the chin and the projection of the cheekbones, in the malar region. It is what separates the face from the neck and gives the face a recognizable shape.
In a young face, the jawline contour is continuous and sharp, the cheekbones sit high and there is proportion between the three thirds of the face. Over the years, this frame gradually loses definition, and many people only notice it when they see a photo in profile.
The concern usually comes up in other words: "my face has become square", "I lost my neck", "my jaw disappeared". They all describe the same thing, the loss of facial contour.
Why contour is lost with aging
Contour does not fade for a single reason. Several layers of the face change at the same time, and the result shows at the edges.
The foundation shrinks
Over time, gradual bone resorption occurs in the facial skeleton, including the jaw and the cheekbone. The frame becomes slightly smaller, and the tissues that rested on it lose support.
Volume shifts
Facial fat is divided into fat compartments. Those in the midface deflate and descend, and part of that weight accumulates near the jawline. The retaining ligaments hold some points in place, and the contrast between what stayed anchored and what descended breaks the continuous line of the contour.
The skin keeps up less well
The skin produces less collagen and loses elasticity. Laxity makes the edge of the face less firm, especially below the chin. To better understand this descent, see why the face sags and which treatments can help.
Where facial contour fades first
Loss of contour is a chain reaction. One area loses support and passes weight on to the next, which is why the face is always read as a whole.
- Cheekbones: when the malar region descends, the midface flattens and the face loses the high point that organized its design.
- Jawline: the weight that has come down from the midface settles along the jawline, which stops being a straight line and becomes uneven.
- Jaw angle and chin: the jaw angle becomes less marked and the chin may lose projection, which changes the profile.
- Below the chin: laxity appears in the submental area, and the separation between face and neck becomes less clear.
It is the combination of these changes that creates the feeling of facial heaviness. Treating only one of them usually makes the others even more noticeable.
A defined jawline: create definition or restore it?
People who search "how to define the jawline" usually find jawline filler as the direct answer. It can be part of the plan, but there is an earlier question: did the contour disappear because the jaw lacks volume, or because the weight of the midface has come down to it?
When the cause lies higher up, placing volume only along the jawline tends to make the lower third wider and heavier. The feminine defined jawline many people look for comes from a sharp edge, not from a bigger jaw. A natural look depends on respecting the shape and the identity of each face.
The same reasoning explains a common question: does cheek filler slim the face? It does not remove volume from anywhere. What can happen is that, when the malar region regains support, part of the weight stops coming down to the lower third, and the face has a high point again. The assessment tells you whether that applies to your face.
How to restore contour through structure
In the N3F® Protocol, restoring contour is the consequence of a sequence, not of an application along the edge of the face. Dr. Fred Fortes works on the whole face, with hyaluronic acid only, always in this order:
- Structural replacement: restores the volume that time has taken, at the points that support the face. It is the foundation.
- Repositioning: what has descended goes back into place. It is the stage that most demands a reading of anatomy, and it is where the lifting effect comes from.
- Enhancement: with the foundation in place, the fine design of the jaw angle, the chin and the cheekbones, without exaggeration.
Hyaluronic acid is placed first at the deep points, next to the ligaments that support the face. That is why the protocol is described as a non-surgical facelift: when the contour shows again, it is because the face has regained support from underneath. Understand in detail how hyaluronic acid works in the face.
"My work is a technique of my own that I created for lifting, repositioning and restructuring. The whole face, with hyaluronic acid."
Dr. Fred Fortes
When surgery enters the conversation
Rejuvenation with hyaluronic acid and surgery are different paths. The N3F® Protocol restores support and contour with no incisions and no downtime from your routine. In the assessment, what weighs most in the indication is laxity below the chin and jaw and facial heaviness. Cases with significant excess skin are analyzed in an individual assessment, with clarity about what the protocol can and cannot do.
Contour also keeps changing over time. That is why, after restructuring, there is a 60-day follow-up for fine adjustments and annual maintenance, with about one third of the initial amount. The assessment takes place at N3F Clinic, in Brooklin, São Paulo, or during periodic appointments in Florianópolis.