Abstract

Objectives: Despite the increased popularity of US, there remains a lack of formal standard references, especially for procedures involving the face. Moreover, while there is a considerable amount of information available in the literatures related to US, there is very little information related to US imaging of the face. Recently, the importance on the facial anatomy has been reconsidered as the interest on the facial aesthetics is increasing. In this reason, it is speculated that the utilization of the facial US will be soon broadened to prevent the side effects. Introduction: The BoNT-A and filler injection are widely-applied techniques for managing masseteric hypertrophy, gummy smiling, several facial wrinkles, volume augmentation, and facial asymmetry that includes the asymmetrical smile. However, inaccurate injections sometimes may result in mild side effects such as bleeding, bruising, or muscle bulging, along with more serious side effects including skin necrosis and blindness. For these reasons, it is crucial to understand regional topography of the skin, facial superficial fat and underlying fascia structures when performing minimally invasive procedures. Results: Despites wide ranges of cadaveric studies to prevent the side effects, the US-guided injection technique could be the first choice of procedure than other blind techniques. I believe that the procedures under US leads to more accurate injections into the targeted area with less complications. Conclusion: Through my talks, I would like to introduce the update US anatomical findings of the face and provide the reference images on each landmark of the face. Therefore, an in-depth morphological study using an US imaging system can yield depth and orientation on the facial muscles, blood vessels, and fascial structures of the facial area that were previously impossible to obtain. This provides crucial anatomical knowledge that can be utilized in various clinical applications such as the US-guided injections with safety and effectiveness.