If you’re considering cheek implant surgery, it’s important to know what to expect after the procedure. Cheek implants are a great way to add volume and projection to your face. They can make you look younger and more vibrant, especially if your cheeks have lost some volume as you’ve aged. Cheek implants also help correct certain facial imbalances or asymmetries caused by loss of volume in one cheek or another (such as if one side of your face is lower than the other).
Many people who have had cheek implant surgery report feeling happier and more confident about their appearance post-surgery. The results are often dramatic enough that they may even help you find new opportunities for work or socializing. But what exactly happens during the procedure? And how long does it take? How will I feel afterward? What kind of recovery time am I looking at? We’ll address all of these questions in this article!
Read on to learn more about What To Expect After Cheek Implant Surgery, What Is Recovery Like after Cheek Implant Surgery?
What To Expect After Cheek Implant Surgery
When it comes to facial cosmetic procedures, cheek augmentation—also known as midface modification—is very often overlooked. Many patients and facial plastic surgeons tend to focus on the upper and lower part of the face because those areas are more likely to develop wrinkles. However, there are several valid reasons why patients might seek out cheek augmentation whether it’s in the form of fillers or cheek implants. Some patients are dissatisfied with their natural bone structure and want to create a more angular look. Others simply notice volume loss as they get older and want to restore their youthful appearance.
Whatever your reason is for wanting to augment your appearance, cheek implant surgery is a viable option that can easily be combined with other facial cosmetic procedures such as brow lifts, forehead lifts, rhinoplasty, otoplasty, and facelifts. Before you make the decision to have this procedure done, however, there are a few things that you should know about the preparation, the types of cheek implants, and the recovery period. Keep reading for all of the important information.
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Types of Cheek Implants Used for Augmentation
Although people of all ages are usually good candidates, cheek implants are typically recommended for younger patients who want to find a permanent solution to fix the bone structures within their cheeks. Fillers are usually recommended for older patients who are dissatisfied with the signs of aging around the midface area, most prominently volume depletion that makes their cheeks look sunken in.
With that in mind, there are three types of cheek implants that you should know about:
Submalar Implants
The submalar is located just beneath the lower eye line at the very point where the cheekbone begins. Around your early to mid-40s, you might begin to notice volume depletion in this region as your fat cells begin to descend down toward your lower cheek and chin area. This results in the cheeks looking sunken in and the bottom of the face developing jowls over time. Submalar implants are an easy and affordable solution to this problem as they’re placed directly above where the cheekbones begin.
Malar Implants
The malar region is just below the submalar area. It’s basically where your cheekbone sits. Malar implants are less common than submalar implants and they’re more commonly requested by younger patients in their 20s and 30s. The purpose of malar implants is to create a sharper, more angular shape that results in a strong and more defined bone structure.
Combination
Although it’s uncommon, some patients might opt to have both procedures performed at once if they feel that their cheekbones aren’t well defined, and they’ve lost volume in their midface area. Combining both procedures essentially allows patients to have the best of both worlds in terms of more voluminous and structurally sound cheekbones.
What Happens During Cheek Implant Surgery?
One of the great aspects of this procedure is that the scarring is minimal and virtually invisible as the incisions are made from inside the mouth or around the lower eyelid depending on what type of cheek implant you’re getting.
Since this is typically an outpatient procedure, your facial plastic surgeon will administer a local anesthetic, unless you request general anesthesia for which you may be required to pay a little extra. There’s also no guarantee that the procedure or the cost of the anesthesia will be covered by your insurance, so that’s something you’ll have to work out with them beforehand.
If the idea of undergoing a surgical procedure makes you uncomfortable, you also have the option of getting an injectable filler instead, but keep in mind that unlike silicon cheek implants, these are not permanent because the substance will eventually be integrated with and absorbed by your body.
What Is Recovery Like after Cheek Implant Surgery?
Cheek implant recovery time is very minimal. Most patients can return to their regular activities after about one week, provided that they didn’t undergo any additional procedures at the same time. Of course, each case is different and you should discuss potential side effects with your facial plastic surgeon. During the first and second week, your doctor may advise you to refrain from strenuous activities such as exercise and heavy lifting.
Typically, patients might notice a little bit of inflammation, redness, and some minor bruising around the incision sites as they heal. If the side effects persist after one to two weeks, then you should report them to your doctor.
You’ll also be required to schedule a few follow-up appointments so that your doctor can guarantee that the incisions are healing properly and that the implants are still in place.
Choosing Cheek Implants vs. Fillers
Cheek implants are a viable option for patients who are dissatisfied with the current state of their facial structure and have no problem with undergoing a cosmetic surgery. The purpose of cheek implant surgery is to replace depleted volume loss in the midface area.
Cheek fillers are more applicable for older patients who want to reverse the signs of aging without having to undergo a surgical procedure. Some patients also suffer from medical conditions that make it inadvisable for them to undergo an elective procedure as it could exacerbate their pre-existing health issues.
What Are the Benefits of Cheek Augmentation Using Implants?
The benefits of silicon cheek implants are twofold: They’re permanent, which means that other than minor maintenance and a few follow-up appointments, you won’t have to have them redone later. They’re also completely reversible. If you don’t like the final outcome, you can ask your facial plastic surgeon to make adjustments or remove them entirely.
How Long Do Cheek Implants Last?
Silicon cheek implants are typically affixed to your existing bone structure with a screw, which means that they can last for a lifetime. The procedure itself can take up to one hour, but removing the implants or reshaping them can take about 10 minutes and 25 minutes, respectively.
Brow lift recovery headache
“Beauty is pain,” as the saying goes — but modern cosmetics experts are proving that beauty can relieve pain rather than causing it. Surgeons have found that brow lifts can alleviate migraines, thanks to a few key elements of the surgery. Migraine headaches affect millions of Americans each year, according to the Migraine Research Foundation, and up to 90% of migraine sufferers experience pain severe enough to affect normal functions like driving, working or conversing. In addition, migraines are a chronic illness; that is, they don’t simply strike once fleetingly, but those who struggle with migraines experience them on a recurring basis and even for days at a time. There is also no known cure for migraine headaches. While there are some preventive measures as well as medications that can help manage the pain of a migraine flare-up, many people struggle to find a solution to keep their headaches at bay.
WHAT IS BROW LIFT SURGERY?
Brow lifts, sometimes called forehead lifts or upper facelifts, focus on diminishing the appearance of wrinkles on the forehead and around the eyes. These surgeries can address horizontal forehead lines, worry lines between the brows and crow’s feet. They are also commonly combined with eyelid surgery, or blepharoplasty, to correct sagging or drooping eyelids. Depending on the extent of your lines and wrinkles, your surgeon can perform brow lift surgery using one of three techniques: an endoscopic brow lift, a temporal brow lift or a coronal brow lift.
Endoscopic brow lifts have become increasingly popular in recent years because they are the least invasive option. Your surgeon uses small incisions through which they insert a thin, flexible tool with a small camera attached — they can view and manipulate the tissues underlying the skin of your brow without lifting the skin completely.
Temporal brow lifts involve slightly larger incisions than endoscopic lifts, positioned at the edges of the temples. This type of lift is the current industry standard for clients who require more work than an endoscopic lift can accomplish, and is usually the type of brow lift performed when a client is interested in an eyelid surgery as well.
Coronal brow lifts are the most invasive, using an incision that spans the full length of the brow from temple to temple along the hairline. This technique is somewhat outmoded and is currently only used in special cases.
No matter which type of brow lift is right for you, there is one distinguishing factor — unlike full facelifts, which often focus on removing stretched or excess skin causing an aged appearance, brow lifts focus on facial muscles. The main cause of forehead wrinkles is overworked facial muscles; when you make a certain facial expression particularly often, your muscles will become somewhat stuck in their tensed position, leaving behind the furrows or crinkles of a worried look or squint. During a brow lift, your surgeon removes and repositions some of your brow muscles to release this tension and smooth your brow to a more youthful, relaxed position.
UNDERSTANDING MIGRAINES
Migraines aren’t like the headaches you get when you’re tired or dehydrated. They are characterized by intense, throbbing pain that often results in nausea; sensitivity to sounds, smells and light; dizziness and even temporary sight impairment. While the pulsing pain initially led doctors to believe that migraines were caused by dysfunctional blood vessels, today’s understanding is that migraines are primarily neurological. The sensory effects of migraine attacks suggest that the headaches stem from the brain and nerves, and indeed, the most common and often effective medications for migraines treat the headaches using this principle.
Brain scans of patients experiencing migraines show a burst of activity in parts of the brainstem, an area known for processing mood and pain. In addition, a network of neurons responsible for transmitting pain around the eyes, teeth, forehead and sinuses are particularly active during a migraine. Scientists also believe that this particular network of nerves releases inflammatory chemicals as a response to specific stimuli, which contributes to the throbbing and puts even more sensory pressure around areas already sensitive from a migraine.
HOW A BROW LIFT CAN HELP
The nerves associated with migraines are located in the same areas as the muscles that cause forehead wrinkles. The added tension in the forehead not only makes migraine pressure worse but can even start to pinch some of the facial nerves and trigger migraines more frequently. When your surgeon uses a brow lift to release or remove these tensed muscles and open up more space in the tissues of the forehead, the nerves in the area are also freed from constriction and are less likely to cause shooting migraine pain.
Research also shows that minor muscle tension in the brow can cause non-migraine headaches or generalized forehead and temple pain, only serving to worsen the symptoms of migraines. Restoring relaxation to your upper face with a brow lift can go a long way toward relieving that daily dull ache as well as the debilitating discomfort of a migraine. The brow lift’s effectiveness at smoothing unwanted lines and wrinkles combined with its tension-relief benefits gives this cosmetic surgery the ability to improve your life in more ways than one — the confidence of a reflection you love and the relief of reduced head pain and tension.
Despite the apparent benefits, opinions are mixed amongst plastic surgeons, as well as The American Board of Plastic Surgery. For those reasons, we do not perform brow lifts to help treat migraines, but your primary physician can provide you with more comprehensive information about if this procedure has the potential to help you.
Endoscopic brow lift complications
A brow lift is usually performed by a plastic surgeon.
A brow lift is an aesthetic surgical procedure to correct the loss of soft tissue elasticity in the upper third of the face. Excess sagging skin around the forehead causing drooping (ptosis) of the brows and wrinkling of the forehead is removed by repositioning the underlying muscle and tissue. It creates a more refreshed, youthful appearance in the upper third area of the face. It can also be combined with a facelift. A brow lift is usually performed by a plastic surgeon.
Endoscopy is the insertion through a surgical incision of a flexible tube with a lighted camera and surgical instruments. The endoscope is now used in a variety of reconstructive and cosmetic surgical procedures. Endoscopic brow lift surgery has gained widespread acceptance, is minimally invasive, and heals faster than traditional brow lift surgery.
Why do people seek endoscopic brow lift surgery?
Aesthetically, the face is divided into three equal parts, of which the forehead (from the top of the eyebrow to the anterior hairline) occupies the upper third. In males this area averages 7 cm and in females it averages 5 cm.
The male eyebrow is less arched than the female eyebrow. The top of the eyebrow lies approximately 2.5 cm from the mid pupil. With aging, these parameters may shift. A lesser distance denotes eyebrow drooping (ptosis).
Loss of forehead skin elasticity from genetics, sun damage, and gravity causes eyebrow drooping, with resultant upper eyelid drooping and dissatisfaction with the appearance.
Aging causes depletion of the subcutaneous fat. This leads to forehead wrinkling, the direction of which depends upon the underlying muscle.
Why is endoscopic brow lift surgery done?
- Aged appearance: Patients may worry they have a tired, surprised, worried, or an annoyed look, appearing older than their actual age
- Eyebrow drooping: Patients may feel an uncomfortable weight of tissue on their eyes
- Forehead wrinkling
- Eyebrow elevation
- Improve eyebrow symmetry
- Change eyebrow shape
- Decrease the function of muscles causing brow wrinkling
When should endoscopic brow lift surgery be avoided?
Endoscopic brow lift surgery should be avoided with:
- Conditions causing dry eyes
- Excessive brow elevation after upper eyelid surgery
- A tendency for keloids or thick scarring
- Psychological instability
- Unrealistic cosmetic expectations
- Poor general health and systemic conditions
What happens during the endoscopic brow lift procedure?
Before the procedure
- Routine blood and radiological investigations will be done.
- Patients may be advised to shampoo their hair with antibacterial soap/shampoo the night before or morning of surgery.
- Hair does not need to be shaved.
During the procedure
- An endoscopic brow lift is performed under general anesthesia or with intravenous (IV) sedation and local anesthesia.
- Multiple small incisions are made just behind the hairline (most surgeons make 3- to 5-cm incisions), through which the endoscope and instruments are inserted.
- Brow tissue is gently released and elevated.
- Excess tissue is removed.
- The muscles are elevated, pulled up and anchored to the bone using anchors made of titanium which look like small screws of 2 mm width. They may be temporary or permanent and do not cause permanent damage.
- The incisions are sutured and dressed.
- A small surgical drain may be inserted — a clear tube is inserted through a small incision below the main incision.
After the procedure
- Post-operative pain can be managed with painkillers.
- Antibiotics may be necessary.
- Patients are advised to rest with their head elevated for two weeks.
- Patients are usually discharged the same day or 24 hours after surgery.
- The drain may be removed after 24 hours.
- The dressing may be removed after 48 hours.
- Patients can shower and wash their hair after 48 hours, using mild shampoos prescribed by the surgeon.
- The surgeon may prescribe medicated ointments to apply to the wounds.
- Patients should not use any hair products for at least seven days.
- Depending on the type of suture used, the surg