After years of practicing aesthetic medicine in Draper, Utah, I’ve seen a remarkable shift in what my patients want from their cosmetic treatments. Women are seeking facial balance over over-filled facial features. In years past, my clients would bring in photos of heavily filled lips or dramatically altered features, asking me to recreate those looks. But now, I’m seeing a refreshing return to what I’ve always believed represents true beauty: natural enhancement that honors each person’s unique facial harmony.
The Over-Filled Era: What Went Wrong
We’ve all had that moment when we’ve seen someone who’s had work done and thought, “They were so much prettier before.” It’s a sad reality of the over-enhancement era, where the pursuit of perfection often led people away from the very beauty they were trying to enhance.
Let me be honest about something. Many of my patients over the past decade have come to me looking to achieve results that simply weren’t sustainable or natural. This has been concerning to me as a practitioner. Not just because their desires were unrealistic, but because I could see it was rooted in a disconnect from self-love. They were asking me to help them become someone else rather than the best version of themselves. Real beauty enhancement should come from a place of self-appreciation, not self-criticism.
Now , however, I am pleased to see many of my clients are moving away from overdone treatments. Instead, they are preferring enhancements that promote natural beauty. This also coincides with a decline in traditional dermal filler use. I’ve seen too many women come to my Draper practice seeking correction of previous treatments that left them looking overdone, unnatural, or simply not like themselves.
This artificial look often resulted from a misunderstanding of what aesthetic medicine can and should accomplish. Their previous practitioners often focused on individual features in isolation. For example, making lips as large as possible, or creating cheekbones that didn’t suit the face’s natural structure. Others would add volume without considering how it would affect the patient’s overall facial proportions. The result was a cookie-cutter appearance that erased the very characteristics that made each person unique and beautiful.
Another thing that troubled me most about this trend was how it could actually age patients prematurely. When we overfill certain areas, we can create an imbalance that draws attention to other signs of aging or creates an uncanny valley effect where something looks “off” even if you can’t quite identify what it is.
Understanding True Facial Harmony
Facial harmony encompasses the balance and proportion of facial features, where each element complements the others to create a pleasing appearance. This concept has guided my practice since I opened La Belle Vie, and it’s what sets apart truly skilled aesthetic practitioners from those who simply know how to inject filler.
When I evaluate a patient for treatment, I don’t look at their lips in isolation or focus solely on their wrinkles. Instead, I consider their entire face as a composition. Facial harmony is an aesthetic concept that emphasises balance across your entire face, neck, and décolletage. It considers symmetry, proportions, features, expressions, and even your unique style.
For example, if a patient comes to me wanting fuller lips, I first assess how that enhancement will affect their overall facial balance. Will fuller lips complement their bone structure? How will it interact with their nose, their chin, their cheekbones? Sometimes, what a patient thinks they want isn’t what will make them look their most beautiful. My job is to educate them about what will truly enhance their natural beauty while respecting their aesthetic goals.
Why Utah Women Embrace Natural Enhancement
There’s something special about the women I treat here in Draper and throughout Utah County. They’re active, confident, and they value authenticity in all aspects of their lives. Whether they’re hiking in the beautiful canyons surrounding our area, attending their children’s events, or excelling in their professional careers, they want to look like the best version of themselves – not like someone else entirely.
This aligns perfectly with the current trend toward what experts are calling “the opposite of heavy makeup, overcomplicated skincare routines, which lead to overconsumption and confusion.” Utah women understand that true beauty enhancement should integrate seamlessly with their lifestyle, not require constant maintenance or interfere with their active pursuits.
I’ve noticed that my Utah patients often come to me with a sophisticated understanding of what they want to achieve. They’ve done their research, they understand the importance of choosing an experienced provider, and they’re looking for subtle improvements that will make them feel more confident without announcing to the world that they’ve had work done.
The Science Behind Balanced Enhancement
Creating facial harmony is grounded in scientific principles. I have studied this art extensively throughout my 30-year career. Facial balancing with fillers is a sophisticated approach to aesthetic enhancement that goes beyond simply filling lines or wrinkles. By strategically adding volume, sculpting contours, and refining proportions, practitioners can restore harmony and balance to the face.
Key Scientific Principles I Apply in Every Treatment:
- Mathematical proportions – The golden ratio, facial thirds, and proportional relationships that have been recognized as aesthetically pleasing for centuries
- Anatomical understanding – Deep knowledge of facial muscles, fat compartments, and how aging affects different layers of the face
- Vector analysis – Understanding how strategic volume placement can lift and support other areas without direct treatment
- Facial dynamics – Considering how expressions and movement will affect the final result
When I design a treatment plan, these scientific guidelines inform my approach, but I never let them override what looks natural on each individual patient. Every face is unique, and cookie-cutter applications of these principles can lead to unnatural results.
Examples of Strategic Enhancement Techniques:
- Mid-face support – Enhancing the cheek area to create better support for the lower face, which can actually make lips appear fuller without directly injecting them
- Jawline contouring – Strategic placement along the jawline creates better overall facial balance, which enhances all other features simultaneously
- Temple restoration – Adding subtle volume to temples can create a lifting effect that makes the entire face look more youthful
- Chin balancing – Minor adjustments to chin projection can dramatically improve the appearance of the nose and profile without touching those areas
This holistic approach takes more time and requires more expertise than simply filling individual areas, but the results speak for themselves. Patients leave looking refreshed and beautiful, but their friends and family often can’t identify exactly what’s different – they just know something looks great.
My Approach at La Belle Vie: Less is More
At La Belle Vie Medical Care and Aesthetics, I’ve built my reputation on understanding that “facial balancing offers a comprehensive approach to enhancing your appearance, focusing on creating harmony and proportion across all your facial features.” This philosophy guides every treatment I perform.
My consultation process is thorough because I believe education is crucial. I spend time helping patients understand their facial anatomy, explaining how different treatments will interact with their natural features, and setting realistic expectations about results. I often use imaging technology to show patients how proposed treatments will affect their overall appearance, not just the targeted area.
I also believe in the power of combining different modalities for natural-looking results. Rather than relying solely on dermal fillers, I might combine them with treatments like microneedling, laser therapy, or our popular Vampire Facial to improve skin quality while enhancing volume and contour. This integrated approach creates results that look like they come from within – because in many ways, they do.
Recognizing Quality Treatment and Avoiding Over-Correction
For patients seeking aesthetic treatments in the Draper area and throughout Utah, I want to share some guidance on recognizing quality care. Choosing an experienced provider is essential for maintaining facial balance and achieving subtle, authentic outcomes.
A skilled practitioner should:
- Spend significant time in consultation, not rush to treatment
- Discuss your facial anatomy and how it affects treatment choices
- Show you before and after photos of their own work, not stock images
- Be willing to say no if a requested treatment won’t enhance your natural beauty
- Have a clear plan for how different treatments work together
- Prioritize your safety and long-term satisfaction over immediate profit
Red flags include practitioners who promise dramatic results, pressure you to purchase multiple syringes of filler, or can’t explain the reasoning behind their treatment recommendations.
Your Journey to Natural Enhancement
If you’re considering aesthetic treatments, I encourage you to think about your goals holistically. What do you want to achieve? How do you want to feel when you look in the mirror? How important is it that your results look natural and age gracefully?
The most rewarding part of my work is seeing the confidence that comes from natural enhancement. When patients look in the mirror and see a refreshed, balanced version of themselves – not a different person – that’s when I know I’ve done my job well.
At La Belle Vie Medical Care and Aesthetics in Draper, we’re proud to be part of Utah’s movement toward natural, balanced beauty enhancement. If you’re ready to explore how aesthetic treatments can enhance your natural features while maintaining your unique beauty, reach out today. Together, we can create a plan that honors your individual features while helping you look and feel your absolute best.
