Modeling the oval face: what is important to know

Anton Gritsenko, neurologist (MD), osteopath (DO), sports medicine doctor, homeopath (MF Hom) (London Faculty of Homeopathy), certified psychologist, General Director of the International Society of Functional Neuromechanics (ICFN) (Ukraine, Donetsk)

Advanced plastic surgeons are paying more and more attention to this issue when it comes to postoperative rehabilitation of their patients. To the point that patients who have not completed the correct course of postoperative rehabilitation are denied subsequent surgical interventions for the purpose of facial reconstruction and remodeling.

Unfortunately, the overwhelming majority of “specialists” in the post-Soviet space simply take for granted what exists here and now, with all the physiological and pathological age-related changes. And this is a fundamentally wrong position. In addition, the ability to correctly understand what is “written on the face”, which of this can be changed and what cannot, today is the main criterion of professionalism both in the field of cosmetology and in the field of plastic surgery. The International Society of Functional Neuromechanics invites everyone to improve their skills and thoroughly understand this issue. And to begin with, we suggest asking a very simple question: what is written on the face? What internal processes are reflected in its change? Are these processes part of natural age-related changes or do they reflect pathological metamorphoses that require immediate correction? Let's try to take a fresh look at the issue of facial oval and its correction.

Physiological and pathological changes

Physiological age-related changes in the human body in general and in the face in particular are inevitable, they should be taken as a given. All attempts to deceive nature will have their price and unpleasant consequences, regardless of the method of influence. More precisely, non-invasive methods will be ineffective, and more radical interventions will entail a series of side effects. Plastic surgeons are well aware of this, especially those who do not work “on the fly”, but accompany their VIP patients for many years. It is for this reason that one of the criteria of professionalism in aesthetic medicine is the ability to say “no”. Do not blindly follow the client’s wishes, but competently explain what should be done and what should not be done, and why exactly this is so. To convey the essence of not only the mechanisms behind the procedure itself, but also those processes that will trigger this effect in the body, and explain what the short-term and long-term prospects will be.

Another thing is pathological changes, which, having the necessary knowledge and skills, can and should be found and eliminated, keeping the face natural, healthy and at the same time as functional as possible. It is from the position of functionality that we will look at the face as a whole and at its individual parts, which, in fact, form the oval of the face.

Proportion ratio

There are seven main types of face oval: regular oval, oblong, square, round, triangular, heart oval and diamond oval. The oval of the face is determined by the ratio of the width of the forehead to the width of the chin, as well as the proportion of the length and width of the face. The ratio of proportions determines what type a face belongs to. But sometimes the oval of the face can be conditionally classified into two of the listed categories at once - this is the so-called combined oval. In this case, it is important to decide which facial features should be highlighted, placing emphasis on them, and which ones should be relegated to the background. Moreover, depending on the desires and needs of the client, you can work for the short term using fillers, lifting masks and creams or make-up. Or you can create an individual program that will simultaneously counteract age-related changes and maintain the functionality of the face at the proper level. And here it is important to understand and convey to clients a simple truth: the face, like the whole body, will be subject to age-related changes. But it is in our power, using the knowledge and skills of functional neuromechanics, to direct this process in a certain direction and thereby create a purely individual facial modeling program that can demonstrate individual characteristics by increasing and maintaining its functionality.

Most of the currently existing cosmetology, face-building and makeup tips and programs are aimed at creating the most beautiful static face. In a photo, such a face looks great, it is ideal for television, where impartiality in the presentation of information is important. But such a face is not suitable for everyday wear.

This individual work program is aimed at the long term and involves close cooperation between the client and the specialist. It is in this combination that the effect will not only be quick and lasting, but will become self-sustaining by the body’s own forces. To do this, you first need to understand what you have to work with.

Determining the shape of the face oval is very simple: to do this, just remove the hair from the face (for example, collect it at the back of the head) so that its contours are clearly visible. Then the face should be divided into proportional parts:

• from the hairline to the bridge of the nose;
• from the bridge of the nose to the tip of the nose;
• from the tip of the nose to the chin.

In the horizontal direction, the face also needs to be conditionally divided into three equal parts: from the hairline to the imaginary line passing through the pupil:

• from the hairline to the pupil of the right eye;
• from the pupil of the right eye to the pupil of the left eye;
• from the pupil of the left eye to the hairline

When determining your own face shape, this task becomes even easier if you divide the reflection of the face in the mirror into parts with a cosmetic pencil - the result will be obvious.

Next, we determine the type of face oval:

• oval: a perfectly symmetrical face, the length of the face is one and a half times greater than the width, feminine roundness and completeness of features;
• square: the width of the forehead and cheekbones approximately corresponds to the width of the chin, facial features are sharper and straighter;
• rectangular/oblong: length greater than width, temples and chin are in the same vertical plane, length greater than width;
• round: wide forehead, round cheeks, width approximately equal to length;
• oval “heart”: narrow chin, face gradually widens towards the temples;
• oval “diamond”: wide cheekbones, narrow forehead and chin;
• oval “triangle”: narrow forehead, wide chin and jaw.

Important points
After we have determined the type of oval, the ability to place accents comes to the fore, that is, taking into account the type of oval, objectively analyze facial features: eyes (their shape and size), nose (its length and shape), cheekbones (prominent or barely noticeable), lips (thin, full, large or small) - and decide how to emphasize advantages and hide disadvantages, and most importantly, why.

Apart from the emphasis on the time factor (short-term or long-term), which was already mentioned above, there is a huge difference between a static and a dynamic face. Most of the currently existing cosmetology, face-building and makeup tips and programs are aimed at creating the most beautiful static face. In a photo, such a face looks great, it is ideal for television, where impartiality in the presentation of information is important. And in fact, with this approach, nothing changes in the face itself; its features are simply visually corrected using the correct alternation of light and shadow on the facial expression. A “correct”, neutral face is created, without pronounced facial expressions and emotions. But once you go beyond the defined limit of the emotional response reflected on the face, that’s the end of all beauty. Such a face is not suitable for everyday wear: in real life and during live communication it no longer looks beautiful, moreover, it becomes boringly monotonous.

It does not matter whether the face is round, elongated, square, heart-shaped, diamond-shaped, oval, or a combination of these shapes. All the subtlety and true professionalism of the work lies in seeing and showing the client’s natural face - exactly the face that will combine individual natural beauty and functionality.

The importance of the frame

The shape of the face determines not only the most suitable glasses and the shape of the eyebrows, but also dictates the choice of hairstyle and makeup. All face shapes are equally beautiful and good, but with one very important condition - a clear outline of the contour of this oval, whatever it may be. In order to achieve a natural, clear contour, an integrated and holistic approach is required, which will combine work both in the face and in the oral cavity, in the anterior surface of the neck and in the suboccipital area. Only such a minimum volume of involved structures can provide a holistic and self-sustaining effect. And this is completely obvious, because the oval of the face itself is, first of all, the ratio of the proportions of one part to another. And the basis of our face is the bones of the skull, which have their own mobility in the sutures. And it is on this mobility that the ability to adapt the facial frame itself to age-related changes depends.

To achieve the maximum functional aesthetic effect in correcting the oval of the face, a specialist needs to determine which processes reflected on the face are physiological and which are pathological. You should also understand what changes the client himself wants to see, what prospect he expects, how he wants to see his face - ideal static or alive, dynamic

The greater this mobility, the better the nutrition of the bone tissue, which means that such tissue will be less susceptible to age-related deformation. Accordingly, the tissues placed on the bone frame will remain naturally taut and mobile. From this follows the first point of work on the manifestation of natural facial features: start your work with the bones of the skull, paying close attention to the bones of the facial skull and restoring natural mobility in the sutures. For this, it is most advisable to use the cybernetics of cranial interactions, which combines cranial osteopathy and craniosacral therapy.

Particular attention should be paid to working with the cheek bone. This will make this area look natural and attractive and will eliminate puffiness in the area around the eyes. The more mobile the bones of the skull, the greater the mobility and functionality of the tissues that are attached to them. And the more the tissue moves, the more nutrition it requires. This means that exercise should be an important point in the program for restoring natural beauty and correcting the oval of the face. They will maximize the functionality of all tissues, starting with bone, through all muscle-fascial structures, and ending with the skin. This will entail increased blood circulation and stimulation of natural metabolic processes: your own metabolism and nutrition from the inside out thanks to your own vessels will allow facial tissues to remain at the highest possible level. We should not forget that all nourishing creams, masks and revitalization procedures are only additional nourishment; even all of them taken together cannot replace the natural vascular nutrition of facial tissues.

Attention to the neck and lower jaw area

Understanding the importance of blood supply, it is necessary to again turn to functional anatomy and remember that all tissues of the head and face are fed by vessels passing through the neck. This means that the natural beauty of the face is inseparable from a healthy and functional neck. And here the work on its decompression comes to the fore. This is, first of all, a direct approach for working with the sternocleidomastoid and scalene muscles, as well as an indirect approach for working with the vertebral motor segments themselves. It is in this combination that it is possible to quickly align all the cervical vertebrae along the gravitational axis and create normal tone of all neck muscles. This gives the effect of stretching, lengthening the neck itself and lowering the shoulders. And as you know, a holistic and beautiful image consists of more than just a single face. This is the placement of the head on the neck, posture and many other aspects that are beyond the scope of this article, but at the same time remain indicators of good functionality of anatomical structures.

Touching upon the issue of natural vascular nutrition of tissue, it is important to remember that for its successful implementation, both the influx of arterial blood and adequate outflow of venous blood are equally important. If there is no good outflow, stagnation phenomena will occur, which will lead to venous congestion of the tissue. And this will make it impossible for the influx of fresh arterial blood and cause functional ischemia. The tissues will suffer from the lack of oxygen and nutrients, as well as from their own metabolic products. The lack of balance between arterial inflow and venous outflow will cause a significant slowdown in the speed of lymph circulation, and lymphatic edema will be added to the venous one.

The only way to prevent this is to ensure adequate arterial blood flow to the face and full venous outflow from it, which, in turn, independently normalizes lymph circulation. We must create conditions for maximum functionality of all facial tissues, which will ensure intensive blood circulation and complete metabolic processes within the tissue itself. And techniques for working with the fascial field will provide an invaluable service in this regard.
By starting with the neck area and continuing to apply techniques from fascial field cybernetics to the face itself, we will obtain the greatest functional tissue response. Particular emphasis should be placed on the area of the diaphragm of the mouth, the anterior surface of the neck and the hyoid bone. Atony in this area, combined with a functionally shortened neck and hypertension of the suboccipital muscle group, leads to the appearance of a second chin, third, etc. And to completely eliminate them, the entire amount of work will be required on both the front and back surfaces of the neck. Moreover, for full and successful work on correcting the oval of the face, you will need to change the order of operation of its most functional part - the lower jaw.

It is her movements that provide the ability to eat and talk. At least four major muscles are involved in this complex process. As a rule, all attention in other types of facial work is directed to the masticatory muscle. At the same time, most specialists forget about the temporal and pterygoid muscles. Turning to functional anatomy, it is worth noting that the masticatory muscles are only capable of lowering and raising the lower jaw relative to the upper, but nothing more. All movements associated with lateral and anteroposterior movements of the lower jaw are carried out by the pterygoid muscles. But these movements are the main ones when chewing solid food and during articulation during verbal communication. With functional hypertonicity of the pterygoid muscles, compensatory hypotonicity occurs in the masticatory muscle itself and all the muscles that form the cheek. And this leads to the appearance of “jowls” and the inability to fully open the mouth. Moreover, bilateral hypertonicity entails constant pathological closure of the jaws, which significantly affects the condition of the teeth and bite.

When tone predominates in the pterygoid muscles on one side, the consequences are even more catastrophic: damage to the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) occurs, the bite changes, which leads to unilateral abrasion of the teeth and the inability to fully open the mouth, and in advanced cases, to a complete loss of facial symmetry. It is the dysfunctions associated with the work of the lower jaw that not only most significantly change the oval of the face itself, but also completely change facial expressions, especially in the lower part. In this case, work should be carried out not only outside, in the area of the cheeks themselves, chewing muscles and TMJ, but also in the oral cavity. Moreover, hypertonic pterygoid muscles create compression in the sphenobasilar synchondrosis (SBS), which significantly weakens the amplitude of the craniosacral rhythm and leads to weakened movements in the sutures of the facial skull.

Functional neuromechanics for complex effects

As you can see, a kind of vicious circle has formed, which can only be broken by carrying out a whole range of measures from the arsenal of functional neuromechanics. It is quite obvious that the work must include influence on all links of these interdependent processes, and less intervention will give only a temporary effect.

To achieve the maximum functional aesthetic effect in correcting the oval of the face, a specialist needs to determine which processes reflected on the face are physiological and which are pathological. You should also understand what changes the client himself wants to see, what prospect he expects, how he wants to see his face - ideal static or alive, dynamic. Depending on this, you should choose the volume and methods of exposure. But, if you and your client are committed to a long-term physiological self-sustaining effect, you will inevitably have to use all the parts of the physiological functionality of the face described above. Functional neuromechanics techniques, which are aimed at launching processes supported by the body's regulatory systems themselves, will provide invaluable assistance in this regard. And this is not just a cosmetic correction, but the return of functional youth to the face.

First published: KOSMETIK international journal No. 3 (57) / 2014, pp. 12-16