Male vs Female Bone Structure: Gender-Specific Results

As clinicians treating patients or patients seeking to be more beautiful, the first thing we need to understand is bone structure. The bones or skeleton are the underlying structure of our face on top of which all other structures sit. They really are the foundation of beauty, yet not many people talk about what it is about bone structure that makes people attractive in a way that can be used practically in clinic.

The Journey to Understanding Structure

Many injectors first realize they need to understand bone structure when they begin treating cheeks, chins, or jawlines. While trainers often focus on safety, depth, and position, the aesthetic understanding of what we’re trying to create with every injection is equally crucial. How do we know when we need to inject, when it’s too much, and when it’s just right?

Learning Through Sculpting

One valuable way to understand facial structure is through sculpting – an exercise recommended for all clinicians to try at least once. When you attempt to sculpt a clay model using what you think you understand, you quickly see the gap between your current knowledge and what there is still to learn.

Beyond the Golden Ratio

While proportion is useful, it isn’t what the structure of the face is truly made of. We need to understand something at a higher level than simply the golden ratio. What is the ratio between? It’s these points, planes, and lines that form the three-dimensional shape of your face that become useful for everyday injectors.

Understanding What Our Eyes See

On facial models, we can observe the planes of the face, which ultimately are what our eye sees. Our eye really sees the combination of light and shade caused by these planes reflecting a pattern that our brains turn into something that means “human.” Our brains are primed to make meaning out of that, looking for:

• Youthful features
• Healthy individuals
• Potential relationship partners

This is ultimately what aesthetics is really about – what humans find attractive. It’s about:

• Health
• Gender
• Youth
• Symmetry

The Golden Ratio in Practice

The strongest evidence for the golden ratio’s usefulness can be seen in facial proportions:

• The width of the inter-canal distance (between eyes) equals the width of the eyes
• This equals the distance from eyes to end of cheek
• In beautiful people, this correlates to nose width and chin width
• In females, the inter-canal distance multiplied by 1.618 equals the distance between chin and mouth

These ratios appear across different races and nationalities, making them incredibly useful for clinical decisions.

Beyond Static Images: Understanding 3D Structure

While ratios are helpful for drawing static images, creating three-dimensional beauty requires understanding:

• What makes bone structure masculine or feminine
• What makes it beautiful or less beautiful
• How we’re changing proportions of defining points through treatment
• How these changes affect overall facial harmony

The Bones of the Face

Forehead Region:

• Frontal projection typically bigger in men
• Stronger periorbital ridge in men
• Labella line more prominent in males
• Two points where corrugator meets are often more angled in men
• Periorbital projection affects masculinity/femininity

Midface:

• Illa should be projected relatively strongly in ideal faces
• Zygoma shows sexual dimorphism:
  • Male: More anterior projection
  • Female: More lateral projection

Lower Face:

• Mandible defines gender characteristics
• Male chin: Two defining points, wider
• Female chin: One or two very central points, narrower
• Gonial angle wider and broader in males relative to zygoma
• Significant size difference in male vs. female mandible bones

The Importance of Chin Structure

Recent viral social media content has highlighted the importance of strong chins. A well-defined chin creates what can be seen as the base of the presentation box of the eyes – the lowest structure that makes everything else look part of that structure seamlessly.

However, there’s a crucial warning: chins can become too strong and masculinizing. This is a key consideration when using dermal fillers for chin enhancement. Everything done to make chins bigger risks making them more masculine, which may or may not be the goal.

Gender Differences in Chin Structure

Although strong chins are important for both male and female beauty:

• Female chins: Project down and anteriorly but shouldn’t be wide
• Male chins: Width of the mouth with two angles
• Female chins: Narrower with rounded or closer together defining points

Clinical Considerations

While textbooks often say the chin should project no further than the bridge of the nose, many A-list celebrities break this ratio. Strong chins that project beyond the Ian can be more beautiful in many people – more striking or statuesque rather than babyface beauty.

Practical Application

When treating patients:

1. Get clear on what makes up a beautiful chin for that gender
2. For females, look for:
   • Gonial angle
   • Chin angle
   • Line/shadow under jawline framing the face
3. Consider whether the desired changes are achievable with injectables
4. Remember that good clinicians will offer alternative options when needed

Conclusion

Understanding bone structure is fundamental to creating beautiful results in aesthetic medicine. It’s not just about knowing where to inject – it’s about comprehending the underlying framework that defines facial beauty. This knowledge allows us to make better clinical decisions and achieve more natural, harmonious outcomes for our patients.

Remember: the goal isn’t always to change everything we see. Sometimes the best treatment plan involves working with existing bone structure rather than against it, enhancing natural beauty while maintaining appropriate gender characteristics and facial harmony.

Want to master Dr Tim’s Art Codes Framework to create stunning results for patients based on their unique anatomy and needs? Sign up here to be one of the FIRST to access his Art Codes Training Course and boost your aesthetic career this year.

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