Structural and functional differences and their relevance to aesthetic concerns and approach to treatment

Aging is cross-cultural, and specific features of facial aging can vary according to self-identified racial/ethnic category or skin phototype, with certain features relatively more or less exaggerated. In general, the baseline appearance of patients varies across self-identified racial categories and ethnic groups as well as Fitzpatrick skin phototype. Baseline contours may vary, and different anatomic subunits may be different in size and relation to one another. While some generalizations can be made vis-à-vis typical anatomic and clinical differences between populations, it is paramount to appreciate individual variations in anatomy and skin characteristics as considerable diversity within population subcategories exists.