Conceptual Approaches to Facial Lifting Using Hyaluronic Acid Fillers: An Anatomical and Biomechanical Perspective.

Authors

Byung-So Kwon, Gi-Woong Hong, Youngbin Lim

Published in

Clinical, cosmetic and investigational dermatology. Volume 19. Pages 616026. Epub Jul 14, 2026.

Abstract

This Perspective reviews contemporary approaches to hyaluronic acid (HA) filler-based facial lifting, focusing on how different strategies define anatomical treatment targets and propose underlying biomechanical mechanisms. A key contribution is the shift toward interpreting the continuous facial fibrous supporting network as a unified biomechanical unit-an aspect not emphasized in previous frameworks. HA fillers have become central to nonsurgical facial rejuvenation, with clinical applications expanding beyond focal volume correction toward structural and multidimensional interpretations of facial aging. Representative frameworks include myomodulation, which targets functional muscle balance; depth-oriented dual-plane strategies, which differentiate structural support by injection depth; and retaining ligament-targeted approaches, which define focal anchoring structures as anatomical treatment targets. Although these frameworks share a recognition of structural elements as key therapeutic targets, they differ substantially in their mechanistic interpretations and each addresses discrete layers, functional units, or focal structures-leaving underexplored the anatomical continuity and collective biomechanical role of the facial fibrous supporting network as a unified system. These approaches are summarized from anatomical and biomechanical perspectives, and an integrative interpretive framework is proposed in which the continuous fibrous supporting network is reconsidered as a unified therapeutic unit, offering a structural basis for reinterpreting facial lifting with HA fillers and for future clinical application and research design. This review aims to provide a structural and functional basis for reinterpreting facial lifting with HA fillers and to support future clinical application and research design. The fibrous network-oriented framework discussed herein is intended as a hypothesis-generating model that requires prospective validation.

PMID:
42472085
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 19 Jul 2026.

Read full publication at:
Please sign in to see all details.

Stats

1-terrible, 9-excellent. How would you rate this publication? Sign in in to submit your rating.

Post a comment

You need to be signed in to post comments. You can sign in here.

Comments

There are no comments yet.