What your shape says about you?

What your shape says about you

No, we're not talking about the size of your thighs. Specialist face and neck surgeon Dr Stavros Eleftheriou (www.surgicalart.co.uk) explains that the shape of your face gives a good idea about how you will age and, more importantly, how to reverse the signs of ageing.

Oval face

Characterised by fullness in the temple area and upper cheeks, this face type tends to experience hollowing of the temples, which can make you look very haggard, and possible loss of cheekbone definition.

The key here is to maintain that fullness through dermal fillers or Sculptra. Dr Eleftheriou adds that, "Surgical cheek augmentation with temple area fat transfer is a combination procedure that offers a natural, subtle and longer term result."

Round face

These faces tend to store fat in the cheek area and as ageing kicks in this can be the first area to suffer fat losses. Although losing fat cheeks might seem great, it can actual result in early jowl formation and deep nasolabial folds. Dr Eleftheriou explains that short-term fixes aren't the answer. "For a more long-term fix a modern mid-facelift can literally turn back the clock. The idea here is to keep fullness in the mid face without losing cheek definition."

Heart face

Thought by many to be the "perfect face", a heart shape is prone to losing support in upper areas of the face leading to hooded upper eyelids and flattening eyebrows. Here the key is to open up the eyes as they take the full brunt of a drooping forehead. Botox can help raise eyebrows, but in Dr Eleftheriou's opinion, "The upper eyelid lift gives patients the most pleasure as this simple procedure opens the face quite dramatically."

Long rectangular face

It's all in the jowls and upper neck for this face shape, as early "turkey neck" and heavy jowls are common. Good skin elasticity will help fend off the inevitable for a time and this can be boosted via laser resurfacing such as Fraxel or more aggressive CO2 devices.

Dr Eleftheriou also suggests Endotine Neck Ribbons: "These devices are useful for those who have early jowl formation. The Endotine is placed under the skin, essentially "hooking" the skin before it anchors to underlying structures; excess skin is removed and scars hidden behind the ear."