In another life, Dr Giulio Borbon would have been an architect. Today, the Milan-based aesthetic and regenerative surgeon busies himself fine-tuning faces and bodies in pursuit?of “balance”. As he puts it: “Nowadays aesthetic medicine is full of ideas that are pretty wrong and dangerous in my opinion, about being perfect, hyper-photogenic, hyper-real. But it’s not about being beautiful or ugly. It’s to look for an idea of harmony.”

Borbon has won a discerning following for soft-touch procedures that range from IV drips to liposuction at Studio Borbon, the clinic he founded in 2016 in Milan. Nevertheless, he has lived out his architecture fantasies with the opening on 3 March of a?second outpost of the clinic in a 1925-era villa in Milan’s CityLife district. Once?a summer house for a rich Milanese family, the?building has been repurposed for Borbon’s international client base. A specially commissioned Fran?ois Halard photograph hangs on the wall, while the front of?house has been recruited from a five-star hotel; Borbon’s team, which numbers 20, will swell to 25 in the next six months.?

We don’t believe in anti-ageing. We prefer to think about ageing management

Sought after for his Face Harmonisation technique, Borbon is known for his subtle work with filler. He favours Pro-Fill, a patented filler injection that works “on the ratio and balance of the face, without changing the expression or emotional output”. Translation: your capacity to raise an eyebrow won’t be compromised. “We don’t believe in anti-ageing,” he says. “We prefer to think about ageing management.” To?that end, Borbon works slowly to achieve a more natural effect over time: someone seeking a face lift, for instance, might need to book in for six sessions over the course of a year. Another common procedure is blepharoplasty, or eyelid surgery, where he is renowned for neat work as well as minimising bruising through tailored post-procedure treatments.?

Borbon is notable in the aesthetic medicine world for another reason: turning people away. “I say no all the time,” he says of?clients with unrealistic expectations and demands. “If you benchmark, it’s impossible – I?will be frustrated and you won’t be happy.” If?there’s elegance in refusal, it’s also in Studio Borbon’s staff scrubs, which are custom-made by Prada. His relationship with the house stretches back 10 years and he is fond of quoting its creative director: “The foundation of everything, as Miuccia Prada says, is cultural honesty.” Part and parcel of that is improving on what nature gave us. “I like when patients want to improve, they want to change stuff, but they basically like?themselves.” ?

Via Monte Rosa 64, Milan. studioborbon.com