The French touch: the boom in natural-looking plastic surgery

Although still less common than in other cultures (notably Brazil and the United States), plastic surgery is gradually gaining ground in France, driven by younger generations who are increasingly willing to take the plunge. While it remains primarily favoured by women looking to counter or anticipate the effects of ageing, French-style plastic surgery is also attracting more and more men who care about their appearance and want to refine their body contour, treat skin laxity or restore the facial oval.

Championed by exceptionally skilled practitioners trained in the latest innovations, and far removed from traditional surgical operations, the aesthetic French touch now appeals to a wide range of profiles, with a reputation that reaches well beyond the country’s borders. Its guiding principle can be summed up in a few words: natural-looking plastic surgery that prioritises a discreet result and the preservation of the face’s identity rather than a dramatic transformation.

This shift towards measure and subtlety is not just a French trend: worldwide, the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS) recorded nearly 35 million aesthetic procedures in 2023, of which more than half were already non-surgical (led by botulinum toxin and hyaluronic acid injections) — proof that demand is moving towards less invasive, more subtle solutions.

The French touch, a bespoke aesthetic approach

Much like other fields (fashion, gastronomy and so on) that often define the « French art of living », French-style plastic surgery embodies subtlety and refinement. Where other approaches (notably Anglo-Saxon ones) favour immediately visible results, the French touch aims to be discreet, subtle and progressive. Rather than a radical, standardised transformation of the face and body (sometimes favoured by younger generations), it prefers an understated, bespoke approach that takes into account patients’ expectations as well as their physical and anatomical characteristics.

French surgeons, and in particular Dr Hunsinger of the Rive Droite Paris Étoile aesthetic clinic, are indeed committed to respecting the body’s overall harmony while also preserving the personality of the patient’s face. Every aesthetic procedure carried out at the Rive Droite Paris Étoile practice therefore involves an in-depth assessment of the patient’s characteristics (morphology, skin retraction capacity, medical history and so on) and a projection of future results based on the original features.

3D modelling, in particular, can be used to reassure patients and help them pinpoint their needs more precisely. The exchange of information, dialogue and transparency are therefore essential pillars of any French-style aesthetic procedure, in order to arrive at a bespoke treatment plan.

This demand for natural results applies just as much to men as to women: men, who are increasingly likely to seek a consultation, often express an even stronger demand for discretion. The goal is never to masculinise or freeze the face, but to erase a tired or stern look while preserving the distinctive features and the masculinity of the face.

The benefits of the French touch

Compared with other methods, French plastic surgery and aesthetic medicine offer advantages on more than one count.

Natural results first

The French touch allows a natural facial rejuvenation by preserving the face’s distinctive features and enhancing them. Smoothing fine lines and wrinkles, tightening the skin or redefining the contours of the body are all kept moderate. The aim here is to preserve the charm and authenticity of the face rather than transform it in an excessive, artificial way.

French specialists place the emphasis on balanced volumes and on maintaining facial expression after the procedure, in order to avoid a frozen look, overly prominent cheekbones, overly plump lips or a loss of emotion in the face. The idea is more about adapting your body and skin to the effects of ageing than rejuvenating at all costs in an anachronistic way: a « pro-aging » logic rather than an « anti-ageing » one.

Patients often seek, for example, to open up the eyes and look less stern or less tired rather than to recover the face of their twenties. With this in mind, the surgeon may choose to keep certain imperfections and slight asymmetries if they feel these are necessary to preserve the patient’s personality.

Safety and comfort during the procedure

The aesthetic French touch most often uses minimally invasive techniques, allowing better tolerance for the patient and a faster recovery (limited social downtime). In particular, every precaution is taken for atraumatic procedures (anaesthesia type agreed with the patient, consideration of medical history, micro-incisions and so on) as well as an easier recovery (optimised scar healing, prescription of painkillers and compression garments and so on). Regular post-operative follow-up, with possible adjustments, is also an integral part of French-style plastic surgery.

A leading advisory role

The French approach takes into account the patient’s expectations and any questions they may have. Several pre-procedure consultations are sometimes scheduled so that the surgeon can precisely assess the patient’s needs and explain in full the ins and outs of the procedure. They may, for example, steer the patient towards an aesthetic medicine procedure that is more relevant to their expectations than a more invasive surgical procedure less suited to their profile. The French touch is therefore built on dialogue and consultation to achieve an optimal result given the patient’s anatomical and morphological characteristics.

Subtlety, elegance and balance

The French look ensures the body’s overall harmony and respect for proportions, particularly for breast surgery (breast augmentation with light, adaptive implants), buttock lipofilling or lip aesthetic medicine (hyaluronic acid injections). Dr Hunsinger therefore sometimes prefers to turn down a procedure when he feels the patient’s requests are unrealistic, disproportionate or completely unnatural. The French touch then means opting for a moderate approach, a blend of tradition and innovation that aims to showcase French elegance.

Which aesthetic techniques define the French touch?

French expertise in plastic surgery and aesthetic medicine no longer needs proving. Every year it attracts a growing international clientele in search of discreet results as well as gentle, safe aesthetic solutions to counter the effects of time. The best specialists, like Dr Hunsinger, use the latest-generation techniques and cutting-edge technologies to offer ever less invasive procedures and ever more natural results.

Facial rejuvenation and natural skin tightening

At the Rive Droite Paris Étoile practice you can, for example, turn to fractional radiofrequency (Morpheus 8, Quantum RF and so on) to resurface the skin naturally, for instance after liposuction, or to innovative discreet, non-invasive facelift techniques (microneedling, HydraFacial, J-Plasma Renuvion and so on). As well as correcting certain unsightly skin flaws (scars, blackheads, enlarged pores and so on), the treatments used act on skin laxity in the deeper tissues. They thereby help to naturally stimulate elastin and collagen to achieve a spontaneous, self-driven skin regeneration (neocollagenesis).

Natural reharmonising of the body contour

The Rive Droite Paris Étoile clinic also specialises in harmonising the body contour, with a uniform redefinition of the body’s contours by acting precisely on excess skin and fat tissue. The natural character of French-style plastic surgery can come from reshaping the body contour without resorting to any foreign material. Combining different procedures can, in this respect, allow volumes to be redistributed through an autologous fat transfer.

Excess fat removed from a patient during a liposuction procedure is thus increasingly used to redefine the curves in different areas of the body. It is possible to perform a moderate breast augmentation (breast lipofilling), an increase in buttock volume (buttock lipofilling or Brazilian butt lift) and even a breast reconstruction after cancer. This entirely natural, biocompatible process is especially characteristic of the philosophy of French-style plastic surgery, which respects aesthetic balance and authenticity.

Aesthetic medicine that is ever more precise and effective

While aesthetic medicine has become more mainstream in recent years, it now accounts for a growing share of procedure requests. It has become a treatment in its own right for addressing various aesthetic concerns without resorting to surgery. Here too, precision and restraint are the rule, with carefully targeted, moderate-dose injections of hyaluronic acid or botulinum toxin, applied only to the wrinkles responsible for negative emotions (between the eyebrows, on the forehead and so on). This micro-dosing logic is at the heart of techniques such as finely dosed Botox injections, designed to relax the eyes without ever freezing the expression.
With a volumising effect tailored to the patient’s anatomy, French-style aesthetic medicine is designed to avoid a frozen, expressionless look or overly disproportionate curves. It then aims to restore self-confidence by adapting your appearance to natural ageing and erasing the stern, tired look of the face, without removing the patient’s distinctive original features.

Facial rejuvenation without surgery: the gentle techniques of the French touch

Before considering the scalpel, the French approach almost always starts by assessing what can be achieved without major surgery. Many solutions today make it possible to achieve a facial rejuvenation without surgery, by working on skin quality, tissue firmness and the discreet restoration of volumes:

• Hyaluronic acid and botulinum toxin injections plump the skin, fill in wrinkles and relax the eyes in measured doses, for a « rested » effect rather than a transformed one.
• The non-surgical facelift (tensor threads, radiofrequency, focused ultrasound) creates a progressive lifting effect with no scar or prolonged social downtime.
• Chemical peels for the face and skin-regeneration treatments improve the texture, radiance and evenness of the complexion by stimulating skin renewal.
• Non-surgical rhinoplasty corrects a bump, a slight asymmetry or a drooping tip with simple injections, without going through surgery.

These gentle techniques can be enough on their own or delay the moment of a surgical procedure. When a genuine surgical facelift becomes relevant, it too is performed with respect for natural results: the deeper tissues are re-tightened to redraw the facial oval without that « pulled » look characteristic of facelifts from another era.

Choosing the right surgeon for a natural result

A natural result depends largely on the practitioner and the trust that builds during the consultation. A few simple markers help you choose the right plastic surgeon:

• Check their qualifications. The practitioner must be registered with the Conseil de l’Ordre des médecins (the French Medical Council) and, ideally, be a recognised plastic surgeon (a member of the French Society of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery – SOFCPRE).
• Look at their aesthetic philosophy. Their before-and-after results and their approach to natural results should match what you are looking for: a surgeon who believes in bespoke work will never impose a standardised « model ».
• Take your time to think. A serious consultation includes a thorough examination, transparent explanations of the benefits as well as the risks, a detailed quote and a legal cooling-off period: no serious practitioner will rush a decision.
• Trust your instincts. You should feel listened to, confident and free to ask all your questions.

This is precisely the standard Dr Hunsinger upholds: every project begins with an in-depth assessment of your expectations, morphology and skin quality, in order to arrive at a realistic, harmonious treatment plan. Don’t hesitate to consult him whatever your need: he can suggest the solution best suited to your profile to achieve elegant, lasting results.