Aesthetic Facial Balancing
A More Harmonious Face. Not Simply a Tighter One.
A facelift should do more than make an ageing face tighter.
It should make the face more harmonious.
Dr. Maercks' approach to Aesthetic Facial Balancing predates the widespread use of today's “facial harmonization” terminology. His work has long focused on evaluating the face as a connected, three-dimensional structure considering proportion, balance and relationships between facial features rather than treating individual areas in isolation.
The objective is not to change what makes a face recognisable.
It is to restore balance between the features that make the face whole.
The Whole Face Not Isolated Features
Facial ageing does not occur in one area at a time.
Changes to the cheeks can influence the appearance of the lower face. Changes around the eyes can alter perceived facial proportion. The chin and jawline can affect how the neck and lower face are perceived.
For this reason, Aesthetic Facial Balancing considers the relationships between:
Cheeks
Midface support and facial width
Chin
Projection and lower facial proportion
Jawline
Definition and relationship to the neck
Brows
Upper facial balance and support
Eyes
Periorbital proportion and expression
Neck
The transition between the face and lower facial architecture
FACIAL HARMONY BEGINS WITH PROPORTION
Modern aesthetic surgery can sometimes become focused on correcting individual features.
A heavier neck is treated as a neck problem.
A tired appearance is treated as an eye problem.
A weak chin is treated as a chin problem.
But the appearance of one feature is often influenced by the structures around it.
Aesthetic Facial Balancing takes a different approach.
Rather than asking, “What should we tighten?”, the question becomes:
“What does this face need to become more harmonious?”
This distinction is fundamental to the philosophy.
BALANCE, NOT OVER-CORRECTION
The objective of Aesthetic Facial Balancing is not to create a new face.
It is to create a face in which the individual features relate more naturally to one another.
This means resisting the temptation to over-treat.
A more harmonious result may require significant structural restoration in one patient, while another may need only a focused intervention in a single area.
The treatment plan should therefore be anatomy-led rather than procedure-led.
HOW AESTHETIC FACIAL BALANCING CONNECTS TO FACIAL RESTORATION
A comprehensive facial assessment may reveal that the appearance of ageing is being influenced by several connected areas.
The cheeks may have descended.
The jawline may have lost definition.
The neck may have changed.
The chin may lack the projection needed to balance the lower face.
The brow or eyes may contribute to an overall tired appearance.
Rather than treating each concern independently, Dr. Maercks' whole-face philosophy considers how these structures interact.
This is where Aesthetic Facial Balancing connects with modern facial restoration techniques such as the MAERCKS Lift™ and MAERCKS Trifecta™.
The goal is not simply rejuvenation.
It is restoration of proportion, support and harmony.
THREE-DIMENSIONAL FACIAL THINKING
The face is not a collection of separate features.
It is a three-dimensional structure in which changes in one region can influence the perception of another.
Aesthetic Facial Balancing considers:
VERTICAL BALANCE
The relationship between the upper, middle and lower thirds of the face.
HORIZONTAL BALANCE
The relationship between facial width, cheek projection, jawline and chin.
PROFILE BALANCE
The relationship between the forehead, nose, lips, chin and neck.
FACIAL-NECK TRANSITION
How the lower face flows into the jawline and neck.
By considering these relationships together, the surgical plan can be designed around the individual rather than around a predetermined procedure
Frequently asked questions
