Full and attractive cheeks produce a balanced and aesthetically-pleasing face. Patients who have lost facial volume with aging or whose cheeks have sagged can benefit from cheek enhancement. There are a variety of techniques that may be employed to restore cheeks to their more youthful appearance. These include a cheek lift, placement of cheek implants, structural autologous fat grafting, or the injection of fillers. Fat and fillers can restore volume to thinned and atrophic cheeks but cannot actually elevate cheeks that have sagged with age. Placement of implants or performing a cheek lift can provide long-term restoration of cheek position and profile. Many patients choose to have cheek enhancement in conjunction with a facelift, blepharoplasty or rhinoplasty for optimum results. Your surgeon will develop a customized treatment plan for you based on a thorough evaluation of your facial structure, overall health and personal goals.
Candidates
Cheek lifts or implant placement are ideal for any patient seeking to enhance volume within the cheek area for a fuller, youthful appearance. This may include patients who have lost facial fullness over time or those who are simply unhappy with the natural appearance of their cheeks.
Procedure - Cheek Lift
During the cheek lift procedure, a small incision will be made in the temple, behind the hairline. From this incision, the skin of the cheeks will be elevated in the subperiosteal plane, minimizing the risk of numbness. The Endotine midface device is then placed in this pocket and is suspended to the temple. This thin, bioabsorbable implant holds the cheeks in their new position until periosteal reattachment occurs. The implants then slowly dissolve, leaving you with a natural, youthful cheek contour. On occasion, an incision needs to be made in the mouth during surgery to ensure that the device is perfectly placed.
Procedure - Cheek Implant
During the cheek implant procedure, a small incision will be made in the mouth or behind the lower eyelid to place the implant with minimal scarring. A pocket is created in the cheek area before the implant is precisely placed and then secured by attaching it to bone or soft tissue. The incision is then closed with sutures.
Both of these procedures can be performed in the hospital or in an outpatient surgery center under IV or twilight sedation. The entire procedure usually takes 45 minutes to 2 hours to perform, depending on the surgical technique used.
Recovery
After the cheek enhancement procedure, patients usually feel some soreness and swelling at the incision site and in the cheeks, which can usually be managed with over-the-counter pain medications, although narcotic pain medications will be called in for you in advance of your surgery. Patients will be asked to keep their head elevated to minimize swelling and will be given specific instructions to allow the incision to heal.
The results of the cheek implants will be visible right away and will continue to improve as swelling subsides. Implants produce long-lasting results from a single procedure unlike facial fillers which require routine maintenance.
To learn more about cheek augmentation and whether or not this procedure is right for you, please call us today to schedule a consultation.