Leonardo Da Vinci and the "Sfumato" technique

Without doubt, Leonardo Da Vinci, was a remarkable painter. One of the techniques he established was the "Sfumato". The word Sfumato comes from the Italian word sfumare meaning "like smoke" or "to evaporate like smoke".
His secret was of course part of his overall painting technique. He used to place very thin layers of colour (1-2 micrometers) one on top of the other (Glaze technique) never exceeding 30-40 micrometers in total thickness. This is how he managed to produce the hazy effect on faces and landscapes.
With this technique he managed a soft transition from light to dark areas of the face. This is how he smoothed out the outline, making subtle gradations from one area of the face to another in the manner of smoke. He thus managed to give a magnificent vividness to the faces he drew.
The "Sfumato" technique is now applied in cosmetic surgery. What Da Vinci did on the faces he painted, we now do underneath the skin.

What exactly does "Sfumato" involve?

The "Sfumato" technique refers to the way we use hyaluronic acid and Botox/ Dysport to achieve the same effect that Da Vinci produced on his paintings: a face free from intense contrast between dark and light areas.

In other words?

Say that we are dealing with a very deep nasolabial fold. Until now, we used to inject hyaluronic acid into the wrinkle up to one level and towards one dimension only, while the hyaluronic acid would be of a specific type.

What do we do now?

We first place a thicker type of hyaluronic fluid along the wrinkle. We then inject another type of hyaluronic acid which is more easily moulded and more liquid.

We then inject a minimum dose of Botox/Dysport on the upper part of the wrinkle to relax it on this particular area. When targeting the deepest area, we may inject hyaluronic acid in three different levels.

This way the final result is free from intense shadows and we achieve a smooth transition from the cheek to the nasolabial fold and from there to the mouth. No contrasts or shadows can be seen. Moreover, because we have placed the easily moulded hyaluronic acid on the top layer, the massage and smoothing-out process will be easier than if we had used a thicker type of hyaluronic acid.
The result is more natural, and the face gains more vividness.

• Find out how you can get the perfect lips

Can you show us some examples?

Nasomalar folds
Smoker’s lines
Glabella
Chin
Correction of mouth angle – Smoker’s line – Minor lip enhancement

• See more photos of the SFUMATO technique

Conclusion

"Sfumato" is a new, revolutionary method of using hyaluronic acid and Botox/ Dysport for non-invasive face rejuvenation.
What makes this technique unique?

1. The successive layers of hyaluronic acid onto the wrinkles
2. The various types of hyaluronic acid used.
3. The effort in making the top layer of hyaluronic acid thinner and easily moulded (i.e. the layer that is exactly underneath the skin).
4. The use of Botox/ Dysport in areas previously considered to be forbidden.

Warning: This technique must only be used by very experienced Plastic Surgeons.