Multi‐Dimensional Aesthetic Scan Assessment (MD ASA™): Initial experience with a novel consultation, facial assessment, and treatment planning tool

Background Comprehensive patient assessment and planning are central to esthetic treatment with injectables. MD ASA™ (Multi-Dimensional Aesthetic Scan Assessment) is a novel tool developed for this purpose. Aims To describe the MD ASA technique and present its preliminary application. Methods MD ASA breaks down the face into five hierarchies (H1–H5). H1 shifts patients’ focus from “distractions” (individual lines and folds) toward the overall messages their face portrays, based on eight Emotional Attributes: four negative (tired, sad, angry, and saggy); four positive (youthful, attractive, contoured, and feminine/masculine). Three priority Emotional Attributes are selected for each patient. This is followed by a process of narrowing down through facial thirds (H2), periorbital and perioral dynamics (H3), facial units (H4), and subunits (H5), to arrive at a final assessment. Based on the key facial signs identified, this can be translated into MD Codes equations and thus a treatment formula. A retrospective analysis was performed based on 12 female patients injected by expert clinicians at an educational event. All patients were selected for, and treated using, a single MD Codes formula derived from a common MD ASA work-up. Results There were substantial differences between patients and clinicians in their views of which anatomical areas needed treatment—but good alignment on priority Emotional Attributes. Patients were treated only for three negative Emotional Attributes, but improvements were observed across all eight attributes. Conclusions MD ASA provides a practical method for translating facial messages into actionable injectable treatment plans and facilitates greater patient-clinician alignment. Prospective studies are warranted.