I want to tell you that “facial harmony” is a load of rubbish. It is a recognized term in the aesthetics industry but that doesn’t make it any less problematic. Dr. Jonny Betteridge, aesthetics doctor and trainer at JB Aesthetics, tells me that the concept of facial harmony has long been a “fundamental principle” in aesthetics and refers to the “balance and proportion of facial features”. Likewise, Mr. Naveen Cavale, consultant plastic surgeon at Real Plastic Surgery, tells me that in aesthetics there are “idealized golden proportions” in relation to the face. However, they’re entirely subjective. “I might look at someone and think they have a large or small nose compared to their face, and so for me, to make it more ‘harmonious’ so to speak, is to make it ‘fit in’ with the proportions that I think are right,” says Mr. Cavale. The problem? “What I think is ‘harmonious’ might not be what the next person — or even the patient — thinks.” Opinions vary from person to person across genders, cultures, ethnicities and ages, says Mr. Cavale.
