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How to best utilize the line of ligaments and the surface volume coefficient in
facial soft tissue filler injections

Article in Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology · December 2019


DOI: 10.1111/jocd.13245

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Received: 15 October 2019 | Accepted: 21 October 2019

DOI: 10.1111/jocd.13245

ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTION

How to best utilize the line of ligaments and the surface


volume coefficient in facial soft tissue filler injections

Gabriela Casabona MD1 | Francesco P. Bernardini MD2 | Brent Skippen MD3 |


Gianna Rosamilia BS4 | Hassan Hamade BSc4 | Konstantin Frank MD5 |
5 6 7
David L. Freytag | Jonathan Sykes MD | Emy C. Onishi MD |
Sebastian Cotofana MD, PhD, PhD4,8

1
Ocean Clinic, Marbella, Spain
2 Abstract
Oculoplastica Bernardini, Genova and
Milano, Italy Background: Recent advances in facial anatomy have increased our understanding of
3
University of New South Wales, Sydney, facial aging and where to best position facial soft tissue fillers.
NSW, Australia
4
Aim: Aim of this study was to investigate a novel injection protocol which makes use
Division of Anatomy, Department of
Medical Education, Albany Medical College, of concepts like the line of ligaments or the surface - volume coefficient.
Albany, NY, USA Materials and Methods: A total of 306 Caucasian patients (270 females, mean age
5
Department for Hand, Plastic and Aesthetic
45.1 ± 11.4 years; 36 males, mean age 45.9 ± 11.6 years) were retrospectively inves-
Surgery, Ludwig–Maximilians University
Munich, Munich, Germany tigated after the injection following a standardized protocol. This protocol comprised
6
Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, a total of six boluses and one retrograde fanning injections in the infraorbital area
UC Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, CA,
USA utilizing a 22G and a 25G blunt-tip cannula, respectively. Medial midfacial distances
7
Private Practice, Manila, Philippines were measured using skin surface landmarks and compared after the injection of the
8
Division of Plastic Surgery, Department partial and the total algorithm.
of Surgery, Albany Medical Center, Albany,
NY, USA
Results: Distances between the dermal location of the lateral SOOF and the dermal
location of the mandibular ligament increased by 0.17 ± 0.11 mm with P < .001, to
Correspondence
Sebastian Cotofana, Division of Anatomy
the corner of the mouth by 0.20 ± 0.09 mm with P < .001 and to the nasal ala by
and Surgery, Albany Medical College, 47 0.20 ± 0.11 mm with P < .001. The repositioning of the facial soft tissues resulted
New Scotland Avenue MC-135, Albany, NY
12208.
also in a decrease of the height of the lower eyelid by 0.49 ± 0.13 mm with P < .001.
Email: scotofana24@gmail.com Conclusion: The results revealed that utilizing these novel anatomic concepts, a
mean amount of 0.32 cc high G-prime soft tissue filler injected in the lateral SOOF
can change midfacial distances by an average of 0.19 mm.

KEYWORDS

infraorbital hollow, line of ligaments, soft tissue filler, sub-orbicularis oculi fat, surface volume
coefficient

1 | I NTRO D U C TI O N tissues has introduced the 3-dimensional perspective into minimally


invasive treatments as layers were identified with greater or reduced
Recent advances in facial anatomy have increased our understand- effectiveness7 and which layers inherit a greater risk for adverse vas-
1-5
ing of facial aging and where to best position facial soft tissue fill- cular events.8 The description of the facial fat compartments is guid-
6
ers. The description of the layered arrangement of the facial soft ing practitioners toward more precise injections as compartment

J Cosmet Dermatol. 2019;00:1–9. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/jocd© 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. | 1


2 | CASABONA et al.

boundaries need to be respected to achieve the best aesthetic and To date, few injection algorithms are presented which respect
safest outcomes. the underlying anatomy and make use of concepts like the line of
A recent cadaveric study by Cotofana et al introduced the ligaments or the surface volume coefficient. In the present study, we
surface volume coefficient (SVC), a novel parameter to describe describe the results of a new injection algorithm which respects the
the effectiveness of each facial fat compartment when applying aforementioned novel anatomic concepts. The data comprise the
7
volumizing treatments. The authors identified the sub-orbicularis retrospective analysis of n = 306 patients who underwent minimally
oculi fat (SOOF) compartment to be the most effective facial fat invasive soft tissue filler injections for infraorbital and medial mid-
compartment as 95% of an injected product are being translated face volume loss treatment between 2014 and 2018.
into surface projection. For comparisons, the deep medial cheek
fat compartment was observed to have a SVC of 26% which in-
dicates that 74% of the injected product does not translate into 2 | M ATE R I A L A N D M E TH O DS
surface projection.
Previously, the concept of the line of ligaments was intro- 2.1 | Study sample
9,10
duced. This imaginary line is the connecting trajectory between
the 4 major facial ligaments, that is, true osteo-cutaneous connec- A total of 306 electronic medical records of Caucasian patients who
tions: temporal ligamentous adhesion (temple, upper face), lateral underwent minimally invasive soft tissue filler injections for infraor-
orbital thickening (peri-orbital, upper/middle face), zygomatic lig- bital and medial midface volume loss treatment between 2014 and
ament (zygomatic arch, middle face), and the mandibular ligament 2018 were retrospectively investigated. The retrospectively inves-
(jawline, lower face). The line of ligaments separates the face into a tigated records originated from consecutive patients treated with
medial and a lateral face. Volumizing treatments of the lateral face the same injection technique. Patient records were retrospectively
result majorly in lifting effects, whereas these treatments in the me- analyzed and anonymized for further statistical processing. Written
10
dial face result majorly in volumizing effects. information and verbal explanations about the scope and goals of
A recent study by Casabona et al10 utilized the concept of the this retrospective analysis were given to participants before inclu-
line of ligaments in a prospective clinical study and reported that the sion into this study. Patient records were not analyzed if willingness
volume needed in the medial midface to achieve a symmetric out- to participate was declined. Written informed consent and signed
come was significantly reduced if injections points lateral to the line picture and photograph release agreement were obtained from
of ligaments were targeted first (lateral injections point performed every patient included. This investigation was performed in adher-
before medial injection points). The authors concluded that volumiz- ence to the Declaration of Helsinki (1996), and in accordance with
ing treatment of the lateral face repositions the medially located soft regional laws and good clinical practice for studies in human sub-
tissues which in turn need less volume to achieve a symmetric volu- jects.11 The total sample consisted of n = 270 females (mean age
mizing effect. 45.1 ± 11.4 years) and n = 36 males (mean age 45.9 ± 11.6 years).

F I G U R E 1 Photographs showing the


injection scheme. The connecting line
between inferior aspect of the nasal ala
and the tragus, connecting line between
the lateral canthus and the corner of the
mouth, and connecting line between
the intersection of the two lines and
a perpendicular line connecting to the
lateral canthus form the G-point (left
face). The position of the boluses given
off into the medial SOOF is marked with
purple and blue dots (middle face), while
the contouring between the cheek and
the lower eyelid is shown in the right face
CASABONA et al. | 3

2.2 | Injection technique In a next step, the contour between the cheek and the lower
eyelid was addressed. Dermal access was made by a 23G needle
The same injection technique was applied independent of the center (TSK Laboratory) in the dermal location of the G-point. A 25G
where the patients were treated. The location for product applica- 38 mm blunt-tip cannula (Dermasculpt) was introduced into the
tion was marked on the skin surface according to the following pro- SOOF without establishing bone contact. The cannula was ad-
tocol (Figure 1): connecting line between inferior aspect of the nasal vance medially deep to orbicularis oculi muscle and superior to the
ala and the tragus, connecting line between the lateral canthus and orbicularis retaining ligament. During retrograde movement, small
the corner of the mouth, and connecting line between the intersec- amounts of soft tissue filler (low visco-elastic characteristics) were
tion of the two lines and a perpendicular line connecting to the lateral injected (Figures 1,4). Detailed information on the amount and type
canthus. This dermal location was termed G-point, as it combines the of product injected for each of the seven locations can be found in
G-prime effect maximized in a specific starting point (Figures 1,2). Table 1.
A dermal access puncture was performed with a 21G needle (TSK
Laboratory) 1 cm supero-lateral to the midportion of the nasolabial
sulcus. A 22G 50 mm blunt-tip cannula (Dermasculpt) was introduced 2.3 | Clinical assessment and measurements
into the superficial nasolabial fat compartment and advanced in di-
rection of the G-point. After the level of the infraorbital foramen After the injection of the G-point (but before the injection of the re-
was passed, the cannula was introduced deeper into the supraperi- maining six locations), the distances (measured in mm) between the
osteal plane. This “first-superficial-then-deep” cannula advancement dermal location of the G-point and the inferior aspect of the nasal
technique assured that the infraorbital neurovascular structures and ala, the corner of the mouth, and the dermal location of the mandib-
the angular vein were crossed superficially. The correct positioning ular ligament were assessed and recorded. Additionally, the height
of the tip of the cannula was digitally controlled and assured that of the lower eyelid, that is, distance between the lower eyelid-cheek
it corresponds to the lateral aspect of the sub-orbicularis oculi fat junction and the eyelashes was measured.
(SOOF)12 and that it is located lateral to the line of ligaments.7,9,10 After the completion of the treatment, that is, injections of the
In the next step contouring, the cannula was retracted (with- seven locations, the improvement of the infraorbital hollowness
out exiting the facial soft tissues) and re-advanced cranially in the and the medial midface volume was scored according to the global
mid-pupillary line. Again, a “first-superficial-then-deep” cannula aesthetic improvement scale: 1 = little or no improvement (0%-
advancement was performed to assure that the infraorbital neu- 25% change) 2 = fair improvement (26%-50% change); 3 = good
rovascular structures were crossed superficially. Three serial bolus improvement (51%-75% change); 4 = Excellent improvement (>75%
injections were applied in the supraperiosteal plane targeting the change). The scoring was conducted 6 months after the last injec-
upper/middle/lower aspects of the medial SOOF. tion and was scored by the patient and by the treating physician
In a next step, the cannula was retracted and re-advanced crani- separately.
ally following the “first-superficial-then-deep” approach positioning
another supraperiosteal bolus in the palpebromalar groove, inferior
to the orbicularis retaining ligament at the level of the lateral canthus 2.4 | Statistical analyses
and another bolus in the supraperiosteal plane in the tear trough.
Thus, a total of 6 boluses of soft tissue filler of high visco-elastic Descriptive and comparative analyses were performed using
characteristics were positioned in the supraperiosteal plane utilizing SPSS Statistics 23 (IBM), and results were considered significant at
one single dermal access puncture (Figures 1,3). a probability level of ≤.05.

F I G U R E 2 Figure showing the volume


changes (middle face) and vectorial skin
changes (right face) after injection in
the G-point. An increase in volume is
represented by dark blue, as a decrease is
represented by dark red. Note the laterally
oriented skin vectors, indicating a lifting
effect after injection into the G-point
4 | CASABONA et al.

F I G U R E 3 Figure showing the volume


changes (middle face) and vectorial skin
changes (right face) after injection in the
G-point and giving off six infraorbital
boluses. An increase in volume is
represented by dark blue, as a decrease is
represented by dark red

F I G U R E 4 Figure showing the volume


changes (middle face) and vectorial skin
changes (right face) after injection in the
G-point and giving off six infraorbital
boluses and infraorbital contouring. An
increase in volume is represented by dark
blue, as a decrease is represented by dark
red

TA B L E 1 Overview of the amount (in cc), location, and type of product injected in the total sample (n = 306). Values are presented as
mean value ± standard deviation

Juvederm Voluma, Belotero Volume, Juvederm Volbella, Belotero Balance,


Allergan Merz Allergan Merz

G-point 0.32 ± 0.092 0.34 ± 0.085


Upper Medial SOOF 0.02 ± 0.005 0.02 ± 0.005
Middle Medial SOOF 0.05 ± 0.005 0.05 ± 0.000
Lower Medial SOOF 0.14 ± 0.048 0.17 ± 0.046
palpebromalar groove 0.07 ± 0.024 0.07 ± 0.025
Tear Trough 0.01 ± 0.009 0.01 ± 0.007
Lower Eyelid 0.05 ± 0.040 0.07 ± 0.060
Count (n) 259 47 260 46

3 | R E S U LT S 3.2 | Averse events

3.1 | General description The overall rate of adverse events after the described injection pro-
cedure was 11.4% (n = 35) independent of the injected location or
The total sample consisting of n = 306 study participants was suc- product type. All adverse events were minimal and resolved in 99.7%
cessfully injected according to the technique described above and (n = 305) within the first 15 days by itself without requiring treat-
followed up until 6-month after the last injection was performed. ment. One single case 0.3% (n = 1) resulted in the increase of palpe-
The detailed amount per location and product type injected is pre- bral bags after the lower eyelid injection step. 250 IU hyaluronidase
sented in Table 1. was injected locally to dissolve the surplus of volume.
CASABONA et al. | 5

The most frequent adverse event was reported to local edema A greater effect in change in surface measurements was observed
with 5.9% (n = 18), followed by bruising 4.9% (n = 15), surface ir- to results from the application of Juvederm Voluma for the distance to
regularities 0.3% (n = 1), and increase of lower eyelid bags 0.3% the dermal location of the mandibular ligament with P = .060, to the
(n = 1). corner of the mouth P = .014 and to the nasal ala with P = .508.
The height of the lower eyelid was measured after the injection
of all injection steps and compared to its pre-injection status. The
3.3 | Postinjection outcome height of the lower eyelid reduced by 0.49 ± 0.13 mm with P < .001.
No statistically significant influence of the type of product injected
When rated by the treating physician, the improvement 6 months was observed P = .209 (Figure 6).
after the procedure was excellent (>75% change) in 88.2% (n = 270)
and good (51%-75% change) in 11.8% (n = 36) cases. However, when
rated by the patient, the 6-month follow-up was in 81.4% (n = 249) 4 | D I S CU S S I O N
excellent, in 6.5% (n = 20) good, in 11.8% (n = 36) fair, and in one case
little to no improvement was reported. This clinical study retrospectively analyzed a total of 306 patients
Concordance in the 6-month follow-up was noted in 79.1% treated for infraorbital and medial midface volume loss between 2014
(n = 242) of the cases with P < .001. Positive discordance (patient-rated and 2018. The treatment was conducted according to a standardized
outcome better than the treating physician) was observed in 2.6% injection algorithm based on the novel anatomic concepts: line of liga-
(n = 8), whereas negative discordance (patient-rated outcome worse ments and surface volume coefficient. The results revealed that the
than the treating physician) was noted in 18.3% (n = 56) cases. applied injection algorithm can significantly alter facial soft tissue po-
sition (Figures 7,8,9). This was reflected by the increase in distances
between the dermal location of the G-point to the mandibular liga-
3.4 | Change in surface position ment by 0.17 ± 0.11 mm with P < .001, to the corner of the mouth by
0.20 ± 0.09 mm with P < .001 and to the nasal ala by 0.20 ± 0.11 mm
The distances (in mm) between the dermal location of the G-point with P < .001. The repositioning of the facial soft tissues resulted also
and the dermal location of the mandibular ligament, the corner of in a decrease of the height of the lower eyelid by 0.49 ± 0.13 mm with
the mouth and the base of the nasal ala were measured right before P < .001. The applied injection algorithm had an overall adverse event
and after the injection of the G-point to determine its effectiveness rate of 11.4% with local edema being the most frequently observed
in facial soft tissue repositioning. The distances significantly in- adverse event with 5.9% (n = 18), followed by bruising 4.9% (n = 15),
creased to the mandibular ligament by 0.17 ± 0.11 mm with P < .001, surface irregularities 0.3% (n = 1), and increase of lower eyelid bags
to the corner of the mouth by 0.20 ± 0.09 mm with P < .001 and to 0.3% (n = 1). After a follow-up period of 6 months, the improvement
the nasal ala by 0.20 ± 0.11 mm with P < .001 (Figure 5). was excellent (>75% change) in 88.2% (n = 270) and good (51%-75%

p < 0.001

p < 0.001

p < 0.001

F I G U R E 5 Bar graph showing the


distance between G-point and nasal ala,
corner of the mouth, and mandibular
ligament. Note how the mean of all three
distances increased significantly in the
6-month follow-up, compared to the
baseline measurements
6 | CASABONA et al.

F I G U R E 6 Bar graph showing the


p < 0.001 significant decrease of mean height of the
lower eyelid in mm between baseline and
6-month follow-up

change) in 11.8% (n = 36) cases when rated by the treating physician


and was in 81.4% (n = 249) excellent, in 6.5% (n = 20) good, in 11.8%
(n = 36) fair, and in one case little to no improvement when rated by
the patient.
A strength of the present study is the large sample size of n = 306
retrospectively investigated patients and the standardized injection
algorithm which was applied independent of the clinical center. One
limitation of the study is that the measurements were conducted
using a ruler and dermal skin markers. This could result in less pre-
cise measurements. Using 3-dimensional skin vector displacement
analyses (Figures 2,3,4) could have increased the accuracy of the
presented results. Due to the 4-years retrospective observational
period, 3-dimensional surface analyses were not available in the
early phase of patient data collection and were as consequence not
utilized throughout the study for consistency reasons. Another lim-
itation is the relatively short (6 months) follow-up period. Longer pe-
riods could have provided valuable data on product longevity. This
will need to be assessed in future prospective clinical trials.
The utilized injection technique comprised a total of 6 bolus
injections (22G) and 1 retrograde fanning injection (25G) using
blunt-tip cannulas for all 7 targeted locations. The cannula ad-
vancement of this technique is nonlinear and requires a certain
degree of anatomic knowledge. The cannula is first introduced
into the superficial fatty layer and after the passage of the infra-
orbital neurovascular bundle and the angular vein, the cannula is
redirected deeper toward the supraperiosteal plane. This “first-su-
perficial-then-deep” cannula advancement assures that structures
at risk for intra-vascular product placement like the infraorbital
F I G U R E 7 Photograph of a female patient showing the right
artery, the zygomatico-facial artery, the transverse facial artery
side treated with the G-point algorithm, while her left side of the
or the angular vein are respected. These structures are crossed by
face remained untreated. The right side shows the impact of the
treatment algorithm in terms of midface elevation, shortening of the cannula superficially whereas product placement is performed
the lower eyelid and correction of the tear trough in the supraperiosteal plane.
CASABONA et al. | 7

F I G U R E 8 Photographs of a female
patient taken before treated according
to the G-point algorithm (left) and after
6 months (right). Significant improvement
of the infraorbital region and upper cheek,
including the infraorbital hollowing and
skin tightening can be observed

The selected locations for product placement are in line with tissues. In the present study, product was injected lateral to the
current anatomic concepts: the line of ligaments and the sur- line of ligaments (G-point), but close enough to not lose efficacy
face volume coefficient. The location of the first bolus injection which resulted in an increase in midfacial distances between the
was termed the G-point. This location corresponds to the lateral dermal location of the G-point and the jawline, the corner of the
boundary of the lateral SOOF which is located at or lateral to mouth, and the nasal ala in a statistically significant magnitude.
the line of ligaments. To control for proper product placement, These results of the present study are in line with a previous pub-
digital control of the noninjecting hand is performed during lication by Casabona et al10 where this lateral lifting effect was
cannula advancement. Once the tip of the cannula reaches the utilized to reduce the midfacial volume needed during needle in-
desired location the first (of the 6) bolus injections can be per- jections for symmetric infraorbital volume restoration. Despite
formed. The retrospective data analyses revealed that a mean of needle injections were used,10 a similar effect on the medial mid-
0.32 cc ± 0.091 were injected. This amount was in the investi- facial structures (=repositioning) was observed providing clinical
gated patient population sufficient to reposition the midfacial soft validity for this novel anatomic concept.
tissues cranially. In detail, the distance to the dermal location of The magnitude of facial soft tissue repositioning was majorly de-
the mandibular ligament was increased in mean by 0.17 mm, to the termined by the high effectiveness of the SOOF, when evaluated by
corner of the mouth by 0.20 mm and to the nasal ala by 0.20 mm. the surface volume coefficient (SVC). The SVC is a measure of effec-
This soft tissue effect is in line with the concept of the line of tiveness as it is calculated by the ratio between the change in surface
ligaments7,10 which has been reported to lift the lateral facial soft volume projection and the injected volume.7 For the SOOF the SVC

F I G U R E 9 Photographs of a female
patient taken before treated according
to the G-point algorithm (left) and after
6 months (right). Significant improvement
of the infraorbital region and upper cheek,
including the infraorbital hollowing and
skin tightening can be observed
8 | CASABONA et al.

is 93% at 0.5 cc and 95% at 1.0 cc; which is the highest SVC of all to a standardized injection algorithm. This cannula injection-based
7
measured facial fat compartments (superficial and deep). This could algorithm utilizes novel anatomic concepts (line of ligaments and
potentially explain why a mean amount 0.32 ± 0.091 cc injected in surface volume coefficient) and positions the product in the supra-
the lateral SOOF can change midfacial distances by an average of periosteal plane following a “first-superficial-then-deep” cannula
0.19 mm (Figure 3). advancement technique. The results revealed that utilizing these
The rate of adverse events of 11.4%, was majorly determined novel anatomic concepts, a mean amount of 0.32 cc high G-prime
by the occurrence of edema and bruising. The pathogenesis of soft tissue filler injected in the lateral SOOF (G-point) can change
edema can be explained by the exceptional lymphatic drainage of midfacial distances by an average of 0.19 mm. This repositioning of
the SOOF.13 The lymphatic outflow is directed laterally and does medial midfacial soft tissues resulted additionally in a reposition of
not follow the angular vein. Injecting a high G-prime product might the lower eyelid-cheek junction by an average amount of 0.49 mm.
impair the lymphatic outflow which could result in the observed rate
of edema. Bruising can be majorly attributed to the presence of the C O N FL I C T O F I N T E R E S T
plethora of arteries and veins located in the infraorbital area. 8 99.7% None of the other authors listed have any commercial associations
of all observed adverse events cleared without medical intervention or financial disclosures that might pose or create a conflict of in-
within 15 days after the injection procedure. In one case, an increase terest with the methods applied or the results presented in this
in the palpebral volume was observed which required the chemical article.
removal of the injected material. It seems plausible that in this case,
the cannula penetrated the orbital septum during advancement of E T H I C A L A P P R OVA L
the lower eyelid and the product was positioned retro-septal and WMA Declaration of Helsinki—Ethical Principles for Medical
increased the intra-orbital volume. Research Involving Human Subjects—WMA—The World Medical
The described injection algorithm resulted in the repositioning Association.
of the midfacial soft tissues which was additionally confirmed by
the reduction of the measured lower eyelid height. The height of ORCID
the lower eyelid was determined as the distance between the lower Konstantin Frank https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6994-8877
eyelid-cheek junction and the eyelashes. After the follow-up period
of 6 months the distance was reduced by 0.49 mm which could be REFERENCES
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