Doctor’s Note · 3D Facial Contouring · WANT Plastic Surgery
What this Doctor’s Note explains
The goal is not the smallest face possible. It is a face that looks balanced from every angle.
Dr. Hyeon-Woo Kim of WANT Plastic Surgery explains why 3D facial contouring surgery in Korea should balance the front, oblique views, side profile, and jawline rather than simply remove more bone.
When people think about facial contouring surgery, they often focus on making the face smaller. While reducing facial width is certainly one goal, I believe the true purpose of facial contouring is to create harmony, not simply to remove bone.
One of the biggest misconceptions is that successful contouring is measured by how much bone is removed. In reality, aggressive bone reduction can produce an unnatural appearance (Fig. 1) or even accelerate facial aging (Fig. 2). The goal should never be “the smallest face possible.” Instead, it should be a face that looks balanced from every angle.
Figure 1. Unnatural appearance due to aggressive bone reduction. Illustration supplied with Dr. Kim’s manuscript.
Figure 2. Accelerated facial aging due to sagging after mandibular bone reduction. Illustration supplied with Dr. Kim’s manuscript.
Many patients judge their appearance using front-facing selfies. However, facial contouring surgery changes the face in three dimensions.
Before planning surgery, I carefully evaluate the patient’s facial structure from:
Each angle reveals different characteristics. A patient may have wide cheekbones from the front but excellent projection from the side. Another patient may have a narrow face but an overly square lower jaw.
Because of this, every surgical plan must be individualized.
One principle I always emphasize is that every millimeter matters.
Removing too much bone can create:
Instead of pursuing the greatest possible reduction, I focus on preserving the structural strength of the face while refining its proportions.
“Sometimes removing less bone actually produces a more elegant result.”
The face is not a static object.
People smile, laugh, chew, and speak thousands of times every day. Bones, muscles, soft tissues, and skin all interact during these movements.
For this reason, surgical planning should consider not only the facial skeleton but also how the overlying soft tissue will adapt after surgery.
Ignoring this relationship may lead to cheeks that appear flat or facial contours that look unnatural despite technically successful bone reduction.
Facial contouring surgery requires careful planning and meticulous execution.
Every osteotomy, every angle, and every transition between bone segments influences the final appearance.
Modern surgical instruments allow surgeons to perform bone cuts with excellent precision, but technology alone does not create beautiful results. Experience, anatomical understanding, and careful judgment remain the most important factors.
“The smallest adjustment can sometimes make the biggest difference.”
My philosophy has always been simple:
“The best facial contouring surgery is one that no one notices.”
People should notice that you look refreshed, softer, or more harmonious, not that you’ve had surgery.
Natural beauty comes from proportion rather than dramatic change.
As a surgeon, my responsibility is not to make every patient look the same, but to understand each individual’s anatomy and create a result that fits their unique face.
Because ultimately, successful facial contouring is not about removing more bone.
It is about creating better balance.
Hyeon-Woo Kim, M.D.
Plastic Surgeon
Director, WANT Plastic Surgery
Seoul, South Korea
Doctor’s Note
Dr. Hyeon-Woo Kim
Why facial contouring should be planned as a three-dimensional whole
Dr. Hyeon-Woo Kim explains that facial contouring surgery should not focus only on making the front view look smaller. The cheekbones, jaw angle, chin, facial depth, and soft tissue need to be assessed from the front, oblique, and side views so the change remains balanced from different angles.
Removing more bone does not automatically create a better result. Excessive reduction may weaken natural support, flatten the face, create hollowness, or make soft-tissue laxity more noticeable. The surgical goal is therefore a balance among bone continuity, facial proportion, and the way soft tissue adapts.
That is why this article places natural harmony before simple size reduction. The final surgical range still requires three-dimensional imaging, an in-person consultation, and assessment of the individual tissues.
*This note is for general education and does not replace personal medical advice. Final surgical planning requires an individual consultation and medical assessment.
The following patient-submitted photographs supplement Dr. Kim’s explanation by showing how facial balance can be viewed from more than one angle. They are not formal before-and-after comparisons, and each story involves combined procedures, so the images do not isolate the effect of facial contouring alone.
Oblique view
Front view
This TALKS post describes combined 3D facial contouring and fat grafting. The photographs support discussion of multi-angle facial harmony but do not show the effect of bone contouring alone.
Oblique view
Side profile
This patient received rhinoplasty and facial contouring together. The photographs help explain profile composition but do not isolate a jaw-contouring effect.
No. Dr. Hyeon-Woo Kim explains that facial contouring surgery should improve balance among the cheekbones, jaw, chin, facial depth, and soft tissue rather than aim only for the smallest possible face.
Three-dimensional facial contouring planning checks the front, both oblique views, side profile, and lower jawline because a change that looks effective from one angle may look flat or disconnected from another angle.
Not necessarily. Excessive bone reduction can weaken natural facial support and may contribute to a hollow, flat, or prematurely aged appearance. The amount and location of reduction should fit the individual facial structure.
Facial bones provide structure, but muscles, fat, skin, and other soft tissues move over that structure. Facial contouring planning should therefore consider how the soft tissue may adapt after the bone shape changes.
Original essay by Dr. Hyeon-Woo Kim, WANT Plastic Surgery · Web edition by All about MEI
This article is for general education and does not replace personal medical advice. Final treatment decisions should be made after consultation with a qualified medical provider.
WANT Plastic Surgery