What is a cheek implant?
Cheek implants or cheek augmentations are using fat to resort the youthfulness of your face in a more permanent way. This can be done either through surgical and nonsurgical treatments to restore volume, definition and plumpness in the face.
Over time your face will lose fat. The result is that your face will appear flat and saggy. More so, it can present itself as a sunken-in appearance that is associated with hunger, illness, or drug misuse. Also, not everyone are born with high cheekbones, but having cheek implants done, you can achieving the look of sculpted cheeks.
The different techniques of cheek implants vary from fat grafting, to silicone implants. Fat grafting is permanent. This technique of using fat transfer is good at correcting soft tissue volume loss particularly in facial aging. This technique involves harvesting fat from around the navel, processing the fat to concentrate the cells, and re-injecting very small amounts into focal areas in the cheek. Approximately 50% of the fat injected survives over a 5-year period, however the fat absorption does vary between individuals. Whereas a silicone implants are ideal for someone who wants to add a lot of volume as opposed to a slight increase, add fullness and create a lifting effect. That is since a silicone cheek implants are good at correcting skeletal deficiency, which can be seen with various facial parameters such as a negative vector (in-turning angle between the eyelid and cheek). A cheek implant is usually made of a medical grade silicone and does not absorb and will last forever.
An alternative to silicone of fat implants, are fillers. But these non-surgical treatments although they can avoid surgery, these make use of temporary fillers to the cheeks that require constant replenishment are not ideal from a long-term perspective.
If you want long lasting effect and enhanced cheek bone appearance, then silicone implants might be better. In addition, this can be done on their own or in conjunction with other treatments such as a face lift or chin augmentation.
Who should consider cheek augmentation?
The procedure for cheek augmentation is for you if you have flat, deflated-looking cheeks. This means if your cheeks lack definition, or there are hollows in the temples or cheeks. But also if you have under-eye bags or lines and wrinkles on the cheeks.
A cheek augmentation can restore some confidence and thus have a positive impact on your life as it will change the appearance of your face, if done by a professional with the correct techniques.
More about what to expect from the procedure
If you are undergoing a cheek implant, your doctor will make a small hidden incision of 1 cm in the inside the upper lip. A pocket is created for the implant, underneath the soft tissues of the cheek, thus limiting visible scars, the implant is customized and sculpted as needed and inserted into the cheek pocket, and fixed with stitches. There are several different types of implants and can range from implants can be inserted onto the cheek bone, namely a Malar Implant, or below the cheek bone called a Sub-Malar Implant. Or a mixture of the two called a combined Malar-Sub-Malar Implant. Also depending on your doctor and the type of techniques they will apply, they might use mini-screws. These screws is approximately 8 mm in size and prevents any movement of the chin implant long-term. Still, the process will take around 30 minutes.
Non-surgical procedures are less invasive. Fillers are injected into the skin after a numbing cream has been applied. But they are not long lasting, unlike an implant.
After implant procedure your doctor might apply dressings and bandages to keep the area clean and to support the position of the implant while the area is healing.
Possible risks and complications
As with all cosmetic surgery interventions you will have swelling. It also might take several months for the swelling to resolve itself. You might also have some numbness, discomfort or discoloration post the procedure. Also, another side effect some people experience is that of their facial movements may be temporarily restricted or impaired. But these side effects should be temporary leaving you with just the long lasting results.
For more invasive treatments like cheek implants, you might need anesthesia. With that comes the normal risks associated with anesthesia.
Also there is a risk that the implant may become infected in which case antibiotics can be given or the implant can the removed.
