Facial Balancing
John's speciality: one plan for the whole face, built around balance and proportion.
- Treatment time
- 60–90 minutes when several areas are treated
- Results
- Seen straight away; fully settled after 2 weeks
- Longevity
- Usually 9–18 months, varying by area
- Downtime
- Very little — swelling for a few days
About Facial Balancing
Facial balancing looks past single features to the face as a whole — how the chin and nose relate, whether the cheeks are supporting the mid-face, and whether the jaw, temples and lips are in proportion with each other. A little filler placed well across two or more areas often does more than a lot in one place.
At your consultation John works out where volume has been lost or was never there in the first place, then puts together a plan, sometimes spread over more than one appointment, to bring everything into harmony. Good facial balancing doesn't show: you just look like yourself after a really good rest.
Before & after
Key Benefits
- 01Looks at your whole face, not just one feature
- 02Small amounts in the right places for a natural, balanced look
- 03Can tackle profile, symmetry and lost volume at once
- 04Treating in stages spreads the cost and gives each area time to settle
- 05Often means less filler overall
- 06Works for both subtle tweaks and more visible change
Is this treatment right for me?
Facial balancing is for people who sense their proportions aren't quite right but can't say why, who've seen volume go from a few different areas, or who'd like a thought-through plan rather than one isolated treatment. It's especially useful for profile concerns involving the chin, nose and jaw.
You may be suitable if…
- You want an overall improvement that looks natural and in proportion
- You've lost volume in more than one place
- You're concerned about your profile or symmetry
- You aren't pregnant or breastfeeding
Your consultation will consider…
- Your proportions and symmetry, face-on and side-on
- Which areas have lost volume and which would make the most difference
- A sensible sequence and gap between sessions if treatment is staged
- Your budget, your priorities and how much change you want
What to expect
Before treatment
Your first step is an in-person consultation with John. He looks at the area alongside the rest of your face, asks what you'd like to change and what would suit you naturally, and goes through your medical history. Bruising is more likely if you take alcohol, aspirin, ibuprofen or supplements like fish oil or vitamin E, so stop these for the week before where it's safe to. Leave at least two weeks between any dental work and your appointment.
During treatment
After the skin is cleaned, numbing cream goes on for about 10–15 minutes, and many of today's fillers have a local anaesthetic mixed in too. John then injects the hyaluronic acid gel with either a fine needle or a blunt-ended cannula, whichever suits the area, sculpting and checking both sides match as he works. Expect a sense of pressure and the odd sting, not pain. The appointment usually lasts 30–45 minutes. During a balancing session, two or more areas are treated in a set order — usually the structural ones first (cheeks, chin, jaw), then the softer areas.
After treatment
The difference shows immediately, but the area will be slightly swollen, and the final shape takes one to two weeks to settle. John explains your aftercare, and if anything needs fine-tuning you can come back for a review at the two-week mark.
Watch
See this treatment in the clinic, in short videos on John’s aesthetics site, Trusted Touch Aesthetics.
Watch 24 videos →Results & longevity
You'll notice a difference after each appointment, and the whole effect of a staged plan shows once every area has settled. Structural areas like the chin, jaw, cheeks and temples usually last twelve to eighteen months, while lips and lines around the mouth last about nine to twelve. John will recommend how often to come back to keep everything in balance.
Recovery, side effects & aftercare
How you recover depends on which areas were treated; expect slight swelling and soreness for a few days and maybe a small bruise. Having several areas done at once doesn't normally add downtime, but leave two weeks before any big event so everything has settled.
Side effects
The usual, expected effects are swelling, tenderness, redness and bruising, all of which fade within days. While the gel settles over the first couple of weeks you may feel small lumps or a little unevenness; these generally go on their own, and anything that lingers can be looked at. Less common risks are infection, an allergy-like reaction, or filler ending up somewhere it wasn't intended. On rare occasions filler can affect a blood vessel. John's technique is designed to keep this risk low, he checks for warning signs before you go home, and the clinic keeps the enzyme that dissolves hyaluronic acid on hand so it can be dealt with straight away.
Aftercare
For 24–48 hours, leave the area alone — no touching, pressing or massaging unless John has told you to. For 48 hours, avoid hard exercise, saunas, steam rooms, sunbeds and alcohol, and on the first night sleep with your head a little raised to keep swelling down. If the area is tender, a cool compress (not a frozen one) can help. Hold off facials, dental treatment and any other procedures on the area for two weeks, and don't put make-up over the injection points for the rest of the day.
Get in touch with the clinic immediately if you have pain that is unusual or getting worse, skin that turns patchy, pale or greyish-blue, blisters, redness that is spreading, or any change in your eyesight. You don't need to call about normal swelling and bruising, though you're always welcome to check in.
- Downtime
- Very little — normally a day or two
- Redness
- Slight, gone within hours
- Swelling
- Usual for 24–72 hours
- Bruising
- Can happen; clears within a week
- Normal activities
- The same day; hold off hard exercise for 24–48 hours
Frequently Asked Questions
How is this different from ordinary filler?
It comes down to planning. Instead of treating the feature that caught your eye, John works out why it stands out and treats the areas that bring back proportion — which is often not where you'd expect.
How much filler will be needed?
It differs a lot from person to person; a balancing plan may use 2–6 ml across one or two appointments. You'll know the exact amount and cost before anything is booked.
Can everything be done in one appointment?
Often, yes, although splitting it over two visits a few weeks apart gives each area time to settle and keeps the result understated.
Will people be able to tell?
They'll see that you look well. Since the change is about proportion rather than any single feature, it's usually very hard to pin down.
Is it painful?
Numbing cream goes on beforehand and most fillers include a local anaesthetic, so what you feel is pressure and the odd sting, not pain. Expect the area to be a little sore for a day or two.
Can filler be undone?
It can. If needed, hyaluronic acid filler can be broken down with an enzyme — one reason it's the filler we choose — and the clinic always keeps that dissolving treatment in stock.
What does the consultation involve?
Before anything is booked, John looks at the area as part of your whole face, hears what you'd like to change, reviews your medical history and is clear about what can realistically be achieved, roughly how much product you'd need and what it would cost.
Your Practitioner
John Dixon
Founder & Aesthetician
John founded Banana Beauty Lab and runs his aesthetics practice, Trusted Touch Aesthetics, here. He specialises in facial balancing and harmonisation, alongside wrinkle reduction and skin rejuvenation. His training is CPD-certified, he is fully insured, and is known for taking the time to assess your face properly, explaining every option honestly and never over-treating — the aim is always a natural result that still looks like you. Clients regularly mention his calm manner, attention to detail and the aftercare follow-up that checks in on how you're healing.