[The third dimension of the face aging, improvement of its understanding].

OBJECTIVES: Over the past 30 years, surface imaging has made tremendous progress. Surgical management has also been subject of numerous technical and strategic developments. For a better understanding of the curative strategies of face aging, the authors have put into perspective the three-dimensional data acquired up to date.

METHOD: A review of the literature focused on the three-dimensional study of facial aging was carried out.

RESULTS: Thanks to the precision of new surface acquisition systems and larger patient cohorts, our understanding of surfaces and volumes is now much more accurate. 3D, particularly highlights the major impact of aging on the perioral area, which was up to now neglected compared to other facial areas.

CONCLUSION: A technical discussion is needed to identify the best techniques to correct the defects and provide a natural result for those anatomical areas that are heavily impacted by aging but not corrected in the final.