Abbreviations and notation in the HOF plan: a short standard

Anyone who has reread a patient record six months later knows the problem: does "malar 2" mean 2 ml in total or 2 ml on each side? Is "Mand" the mandible or mandibular? Is "SM" subtle-moderate or a maintenance session? A well-thought-out plan loses value when the record is ambiguous, and ambiguity gets expensive when you compare sessions, hand the case to a colleague or answer a patient's question.

This page proposes a short notation standard for the HOF (orofacial harmonization) plan: area code, side, volume, intensity and recorded layer. It is a starting model for your clinic to adapt and document. For the full fields of a chart, see facial treatment plan chart: fields.

Why standardize the notation?

Three practical reasons, in order of impact:

• Safety: a misread volume or side can turn into the wrong injection at the next session.
• Continuity: when another professional on the team handles the follow-up, they need to understand the plan without calling you.
• Comparison: you can only compare sessions, intensities and results if the records use the same yardstick.

Standardizing also makes the quote easier, because the volume per area becomes the number that feeds the price per ml. The math is in linking the plan and the quote in HOF.

What line structure works?

The simplest standard has five fields, always in the same order. A fixed order is what makes reading fast.

A complete line would look like this: CHK | B | 2.0 ml total | M | professional's note. The layer field is for noting what the professional decided and carried out, as a record memory. It is not a technique instruction, and the public page does not teach how to choose depth.

What about product and lot?

Product, lot and expiration go on their own line below the plan, or in a separate field of the record. Mixing the lot into the planning line makes it long and hard to read. For hyaluronic acid, note the product name as it appears on the label. For botulinum toxin, record the amount in toxin units, never in ml, so it is not confused with the dilution.

Which area codes should you use?

Use three or four letters, derived from the most common name. The table below is a suggestion aligned with Harmy's nine marking points, with the matching third of the face.

Avoid single-letter codes and codes that look alike. "ML" for malar collides with "ml" for milliliter, which is exactly why the suggestion uses CHK.

How do you write side and volume without ambiguity?

Define the rule once and write it in the legend. There are two common options:

1. Total volume for the area, always. "CHK 2.0 ml" means 2 ml added across both sides. This is the rule Harmy uses in the projection: for a bilateral area, the ml entered is the total, split between the sides.
2. Volume per side, always. "CHK 1.0 ml per side". It works well in clinics that record each side on its own line.

The first is usually more practical because it matches the quote math and the app's marking. If the split between sides is deliberately asymmetric, note it on separate lines: CHK | R | 1.2 ml and CHK | L | 0.8 ml, with the reason in the notes field.

How do you record intensity?

In Harmy, the intensity per area is Subtle, Moderate or Pronounced, with Moderate as the default. In the record, the initials S, M and P are enough. The key point is that intensity describes what you intend to communicate to the patient in the simulation and the plan, and it does not replace volume. Two lines with 1 ml and different intensities communicate different results. The comparison is in comparing intensities: Subtle, Moderate and Pronounced.

How do you record session, follow-up and adjustment?

Every plan has a timeline. Record the session with a number and full date, and the follow-up with its reason. A good standard:

Follow-up windows vary with the product and the patient, and are left to the professional's judgment. The point here is that every line of the record carries S or F with the date, so the progress is readable. The idea of tracking the patient over time is in patient timeline in HOF and in plan journal: progress record per session.

How do you create and maintain the clinic legend?

The legend is one page, not a treatise. Print it, post it where the team looks things up, and keep a version in the system.

What should you do when someone new joins the team?

Hand over the legend on day one and ask them to read three real patient records. Onboarding usually shows within the first week where the notation is unclear. Fix the legend with that feedback instead of assuming it "turned out obvious".

Which notation mistakes show up most?

How does the notation connect to the patient?

The patient does not read "CHK B 2.0 M". They need the plan in words: "we will reinforce the cheekbone area with 2 ml in total, at moderate intensity". Translating the notation into conversation is also part of planning, and presenting the plan is covered in patient approval of the plan and in linking the plan and the quote in HOF. The informed consent should not contain abbreviations.

Summary

• A short standard beats a complete one that nobody uses.
• Five fields in fixed order: area, side, volume, intensity, recorded layer.
• Volume rule written down (total or per side) and the unit next to the number.
• Legend printed, dated and known to the team.
• Notation for the team, words for the patient.