Cheek Augmentation
Define your cheeks for a beautiful facial balance
Cheek Implants
The ideal facial structure is all about balance and proportion. Flat and sagging cheeks throw off the harmony of your face and can make you look older or more masculine. Cheek implants can produce a dramatic improvement in your look by helping to balance your facial features.
What is Cheek Implant Surgery?
Cheek augmentation, also called cheek implant surgery, adds volume and lift to the cheeks by filling them out with implants and/or fat. How it is done depends on your anatomy. In a small percentage of cases, Dr. Zukowski can perform cheek augmentation with fat grafting alone. For most people, he will use fat grafting along with cheek implants. Fat grafting is done by moving fat from other areas of your body and grafting it into your cheek for natural-looking fullness.
Why It Is Done
Cheek augmentation is done to combat the effects of aging, as cheeks can lose volume and sag with age. It is also done as part of facial feminization surgery. Genetic females tend to have more soft tissue over their cheeks than genetic males. This gives them fuller, rounder cheeks and more of a heart-shaped face. When a woman smiles, the soft tissue over the cheek elevates to create the beautiful “apple of the cheek” and gives a very pleasing contour that adds sensuality to the eyes. Cheek augmentation can help achieve this effect.
How it is Done
Depending on your anatomy and the approach Dr. Zukowski determines to be best, he will insert your cheek implants either through an incision inside your mouth or through an incision under your lower eyelid.
Types of Cheek Implants
There are several types of cheek implants. The implants most commonly used are either silicone or a porous plastic material called Medpor. Dr. Zukowski has been working with Medpor for over 25 years and vastly prefers it to silicone cheek implants. Silicone implants can shift after surgery, but Medpor cheek implants are fixed to the bone with a surgical grade titanium screw and will not move. The Medpor cheek implants incorporate nicely into the soft tissue and bone, and they can be contoured during surgery and sculpted to match your face. After the surgery, they feel just like your real facial bones. Dr. Zukowski will graft fat on top of them, leaving you with cheeks that look and feel natural.
How Long Do Cheek Implants Last?
Medpor implants are the most permanent type of cheek implant. Medpor is a stable material that does not degrade. It fuses to the bone to the point where it becomes almost like a part of your skeleton.
Risks of Cheek Implant Surgery
Medpor cheek implants are among the safest implants because they are non-toxic, do not degrade, and cannot leak. However, cheek implant surgery carries the risks associated with all surgeries such as a reaction to anesthesia or infection.
Who is a Good Candidate for Cheek Implant Surgery?
You may be a good candidate for cheek augmentation surgery if you feel that your cheeks are too flat, thin, or saggy, or if you are a genetic male seeking to feminize your face. As with any surgical procedure, patients who are physically healthy and don’t smoke make the best candidates.
With years of experience and an artist’s eye for balance and harmony, Dr. Zukowski can enhance your cheeks and help you achieve a face that reflects the real you.
If you have any concerns or questions about cheek implant surgery, please don’t hesitate to contact our office in Chicago to learn more.
Visit the patient gallery to see before and after transformations.