Cheek Augmentation

Many people are born with deficient, flat-looking cheeks; others lose facial fat as they age, particularly in the mid-face/cheek area.  There are several ways to augment the cheeks.  The simplest way is by adding an implant to the cheeks (the size, shape, and even position are suited to the patient’s particular needs).  The other method, which is used separately or in conjunction with small implants, is fat transfer.  This is especially nice when people have suffered a loss of fat in several areas that are difficult to treat with an implant alone. 

Smooth, contoured cheeks and high cheekbones have traditionally been considered a sign of beauty and youth.  Unfortunately, as people age, sallowness often develops in the mid cheeks due to loss of fat or the pull of gravity.  Sometimes, a facelift alone can restore the cheek to its more youthful appearance by lifting the sagging jowl fat back up into the cheek area.  However, that may not always be enough.  Weight loss and even  physical exercise can cause a loss of facial fat as well as body fat.  Also,  fat distribution seems to change somewhat around middle age, when fat may gather around the middle of the body instead of in the face.

At any rate, sallow cheeks can make a person appear older or give him or her a tired look.  They can also make one’s melo-labial (from the nose to the mouth on each side) lines look deeper.

WHEN IS CHEEK AUGMENTATION NEEDED?

Sallowness or poor definition of the cheeks due to heredity, aging, or weight loss, or facial fat atrophy.

HOW IS IT PERFORMED?

Cheek implants, made of a solid, Silastic material, are inserted through a small incision made inside the mouth in the crease above the upper lip.  They are positioned in place, and dissolvable sutures close the tiny incisions on each side.   Dr. Miles has special methods to ensure the implants are incorporated by the tissue and do not move out of place.

ABOUT THE PROCEDURE:

This is a minor outpatient procedure performed under local anesthesia with a mild IV sedation.  Recovery is usually rapid, and discomfort is minimal.  However, some swelling can last for several weeks. 

Cheek augmentation can be performed alone are in conjunction with a facelift, rhinoplasty, or other facial enhancement procedure.

HOW IS FAT AUGMENTATION PERFORMED?

Fat is harvested from some area of the patient’s body, usually the abdomen or thigh.  It is cleaned, prepared into vials, labeled with the individual’s ID number, and stored in a special freezer.  The area to be augmented is numbed with a local anesthetic, and the fat is meticulously injected in layers into the sallow areas of the cheeks at two to three different intervals.  By layering the fat and not over-injecting at one sitting, more of the fat is maintained long term.  Fat transfers are especially useful in cases where multiple areas of hollowness are involved or where implants would not be sufficient.  Fat alone, however, does not provide the form that some people need from an implant, such as in the case of hereditary flat-looking cheeks with deficient cheekbones.

RECOVERY:

Recovery is quick and risks are very minimal.  One may experience some temporary bruising, swelling, and possibly lumpiness.  The success rate of the fat lasting long-term seems to depend upon the mobility of the area involved.  Cheek areas do very well.

Click Here to see before and after examples of this procedure.

Visit our plastic / cosmetic surgery offices located in Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas (TX).

BACK TO TOP

Dr. Miles specializes in facial and full body cosmetic plastic surgery and his practice is located in Dallas, Texas. Patients from the following areas and cities: Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, Austin, El Paso, Arlington, Corpus Christi, Plano, Garland, Wichita Falls, Abilene, Lubbock, Irving, Forest Hill, Southland, 
Mansfield, Allen, Frisco, Denton, Carrollton, Lewisville, Waxahachie, Corsicana, Sherman Denison, Texas (TX), and Little Rock, Arkansas (AR), New Orleans, Louisiana (LA), Santa Fe, Albuquerque, New Mexico (NM), Tulsa, Oklahoma (OK), Topeka, Kansas (KS), Jefferson, Missouri (MO) can conveniently schedule appointments in our Dallas, Texas office.

Registered to beautify.com. 

© 2008