Even subtle enhancements to the cheeks can dramatically improve facial harmony, helping bring forth your natural beauty. Cheek implants, fitted to complement your natural anatomy, add structure and definition to sunken or asymmetrical cheekbones with results that last throughout the years.
Sometimes your contour and highlight powders can only take you so far—and even the most excellent makeup job can only create the illusion of refined, attractive cheekbones until tomorrow. Trying to achieve a more natural, refined look day after day can be frustrating for anyone who has inherited sunken, shapeless cheeks.
The good news is that you can change your cheek contour and get the more beautiful, and refined facial appearance you desire. With the help of an experienced plastic surgeon, a cheek reshaping procedure can add structure to the existing cheekbones, improving symmetry and bringing your facial features into more attractive harmony.
A cheek enhancement procedure can help:
What it takes to refine your cheek contour depends on your unique anatomy. Your surgeon will explain the most appropriate procedure for you, but here are the three basic approaches our surgeons may use to help create a more beautiful cheek shape.
The most common cheek reshaping procedure involves placing anatomically shaped cheek implants around the existing cheek bones. Made from a firm, biocompatible material that is safe to stay in your body, cheek implants add structure and definition to flat or shapeless cheeks to create a more aesthetically pleasing appearance to the facial features. Cheek implants come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, helping us achieve a very natural appearance for nearly any facial shape.
If you feel your cheeks are too full and causing your face to look overly round, a cheek reduction may be a solution. This procedure removes excess fat from the cheek area to sculpt a more refined shape to the cheeks. As the cheeks tend to naturally lose volume as we age, this is relatively rare procedure, reserved for patients who have a more substantial amount of fat in the cheeks.
In some patients, an endoscopic cheek lift can use the patient’s own tissues to provide cheek fullness without any visible scars. This procedure lifts and reshapes the underlying tissues of the mid-face, and is a fairly similar procedure to a mini-facelift.
If you are primarily bothered by age-related volume loss in the cheeks, we can usually help restore cheek fullness non-surgically. We have several dermal filler options that are specifically formulated for adding volume and shape to cheeks and mid-face, including Juvéderm VOLUMA and Restylane Lyft. In our experience, these products can produce excellent results that last for 1 to 2 years.
The exact surgical process varies depending on what type of cheek reshaping procedure you are having, but all surgeries will take place in our fully accredited, on-site surgery suite. Cheek implant surgery is usually done using general anesthesia or local anesthesia with sedation, depending on your needs. Through small incisions inside the cheeks, your surgeon will place the correct size and shape of cheek implant around your existing cheek bones, beneath the eyelids.
Surgery can take as little as 30 minutes, although it will take longer if you are having a complementary procedure, such as chin augmentation, nose reshaping, or a facelift.
After a brief time in our recovery room, you will be allowed to go home to continue resting.
Patients who have cheek implant surgery typically enjoy a relatively quick and smooth recovery. For the first few days after surgery, soreness, swelling, bruising and tenderness are common. You will be prescribed pain medication, and applying a cold compress to the face will help soothe discomfort. After a few days, most patients feel fine switching to Tylenol for pain management. Avoid sleeping on your stomach or side for several weeks, as it’s important not to place pressure on the healing cheek implants.
If you have a desk job, you’ll be ready to return to work and other normal activities in about 1 week. Exercise can begin about 2 weeks after surgery, except for contact sports. Your surgeon will provide details about the recovery process at your consultation.
Once you have completed the recovery process and your final results are in place—typically about 4 weeks after surgery—you can look forward to seeing a more refined, naturally balanced face looking you back in the mirror.
