Beyond Skin Deep: Dr Rodrigo Teixeira to Explore Mimetic Muscles in Facial Rejuvenation at Aesthetics 2026

The specialist plastic and reconstructive surgeon will reveal why understanding the face’s muscular framework may be essential to achieving balanced, natural-looking rejuvenation.

Facial rejuvenation has traditionally focused heavily on what practitioners can see: fine lines, wrinkles, skin laxity, volume loss and changes in facial contour. At Aesthetics 2026, Specialist Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon Dr Rodrigo Teixeira will invite delegates to look deeper—at the dynamic muscular framework influencing how the face moves, ages and communicates.

In his educational presentation, “The Mimetic Muscle in Facial Rejuvenation,” Dr Teixeira will examine the role of facial expression muscles in ageing and explore why the relationship between opposing muscle groups deserves greater consideration in contemporary treatment planning.

The session will take place at 12:00 pm on Saturday 25 July as part of Aesthetics 2026, held at Hilton Sydney from 23–26 July.

Bringing together local and international medical professionals, the four-day conference will deliver multidisciplinary education across aesthetic medicine, facial anatomy, treatment techniques and emerging technologies.

Looking beneath the visible signs of facial ageing

Facial ageing is a complex, three-dimensional process. Changes occur across the skin, fat compartments, retaining ligaments, muscles and underlying skeletal structure. While the visible effects often appear on the surface, they cannot always be understood—or appropriately addressed—by considering the skin in isolation.

Mimetic muscles are responsible for facial expression, allowing people to smile, frown, squint and communicate emotion. Unlike many skeletal muscles, several facial muscles have connections with the skin and the superficial musculoaponeurotic system, or SMAS. Their activity therefore influences both facial movement and the appearance of the overlying soft tissue.

Published anatomical literature notes that mimetic muscles contribute to the suspension and structural integrity of the facial soft-tissue envelope. Age-related changes in their architecture, position and activity may consequently play a part in evolving facial shape and expression. Research examining facial ageing from the “inside out” supports the importance of assessing the interactions between bone, ligaments, fat, muscle and skin rather than viewing each layer independently.

This more integrated understanding provides the foundation for Dr Teixeira’s Aesthetics 2026 presentation.

Understanding facial elevators and depressors

Central to the session will be the functional relationship between facial elevator and depressor muscles.

These opposing groups help create balance within the face. Elevator muscles contribute to upward movement in areas such as the brows, cheeks and corners of the mouth, while depressor muscles create downward movement in the brows, lips and lower face.

This is not a simple battle between “good” muscles pulling upwards and “bad” muscles pulling downwards. Each group performs an important functional and expressive role. However, changes in strength, activity, position or structural support may alter the equilibrium between them.

Emerging anatomical research has investigated how facial muscle ageing may include laxity within some elevator muscles and increased contracture among certain depressor muscles. These changes may influence facial positioning and contribute to the appearance of heaviness or downward pull over time. A recent review of facial muscle ageing describes how muscular remodelling and altered biomechanics can actively shape age-related facial changes.

By examining this relationship, Dr Teixeira will encourage practitioners to consider facial balance—not simply isolated lines or areas of laxity—when assessing patients and developing individualised rejuvenation plans.

Where EMFACE fits into the conversation

Dr Teixeira will also explore the use of EMFACE® within treatment planning for the facial musculature.

Developed by BTL Aesthetics, EMFACE is a non-invasive medical device that combines synchronised radiofrequency with high-intensity facial electrical stimulation. The technologies are delivered simultaneously to provide local tissue heating and facial muscle stimulation.

According to BTL’s official EMFACE information, its synchronised radiofrequency elevates tissue temperature and supports local circulation, while its HIFES® technology stimulates targeted muscle activity. In aesthetic applications, the technology is designed to address the skin and underlying facial muscles during the same treatment.

Its registered indications include local muscle stimulation, local tissue heating, increased local blood circulation, strengthening facial muscles and reducing facial wrinkles and rhytids.

Rather than presenting technology as a substitute for comprehensive clinical assessment, the session will place EMFACE within a broader anatomical and treatment-planning framework. The emphasis will be on understanding why the facial musculature matters and how a technology that stimulates muscle activity may be considered as part of an individualised approach.

As with any medical-aesthetic treatment, patient selection, practitioner training, appropriate assessment and realistic expectations remain fundamental.

An educator grounded in anatomy and surgery

Dr Rodrigo Teixeira brings extensive surgical and anatomical expertise to the subject.

He is a Specialist Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon and Founder and Medical Advisor at Unveil Aesthetics in Melbourne. Having trained in both Brazil and Australia, his practice spans aesthetic and reconstructive plastic surgery, with particular interests in facial surgery, facial anatomy and personalised treatment planning.

Dr Teixeira is a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and a member of the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons. According to his Royal Australasian College of Surgeons profile, he completed further fellowship training at The Alfred Hospital and The Royal Children’s Hospital in plastic surgery, craniofacial and cleft surgery, and burns. He has also undertaken fellowship training in aesthetic plastic surgery.

Alongside his private practice, Dr Teixeira provides cleft lip and palate care at The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne. This combination of aesthetic, reconstructive and craniofacial experience gives him a highly informed perspective on the relationship between anatomy, function, movement and appearance.

A more dynamic approach to facial assessment

The session arrives at an important time for aesthetic medicine. As technologies become more sophisticated, the opportunity—and responsibility—to understand the anatomy they target becomes increasingly significant.

A face is not static. It moves, communicates and changes continuously. A rejuvenation strategy that looks convincing at rest must also respect facial function, identity and expression.

For practitioners attending Aesthetics 2026, Dr Teixeira’s presentation promises to offer a deeper perspective on assessment and treatment planning. By shifting attention from individual wrinkles towards the interaction between muscular forces, facial structure and soft tissue, the session will challenge delegates to think more dynamically about ageing.

The central message is compelling: meaningful facial rejuvenation may begin not with asking where the face has aged, but with understanding how its underlying structures have changed—and how they continue to work together.

Event details

Event: Aesthetics 2026
Presentation: The Mimetic Muscle in Facial Rejuvenation
Speaker: Dr Rodrigo Teixeira, MD, FRACS
Date and time: Saturday 25 July 2026 at 12:00 pm
Venue: Hilton Sydney, 488 George Street, Sydney
Practice: Unveil Aesthetics & Plastic Surgery