A Guide To Cheek Augmentation

If you have been concerned about hollow or lax cheeks, you might have considered getting a cheek augmentation. But what is the procedure and what does it really do?

What Is It?

To begin with, cheek augmentation is a procedure that adds volume to increase the fullness of your cheeks. In some cases, the loss of volume over time due to aging can cause the skin around the cheeks to begin to sag. In other cases, patients may have lost a lot of weight, including in their face, leaving lax, sagging skin behind. These concerns can be corrected with a cheek augmentation.

Dermal Fillers

A non-surgical option for cheek augmentation is to have dermal filler injections. Dermal fillers are used to fill in the space underneath your skin. It can eradicate the appearance of wrinkles as well as help fill in the skin where your cheeks have begun to sag.

Dermal fillers are comprised of hyaluronic acid, which is a naturally-occurring substance in your skin. Because it is something your body will recognize, the solution will be accepted into the body, leaving you with natural looking results. Your body will eventually metabolize the solution, so the results are not permanent.

Fat Injections

Another form of cheek augmentation is a fat injection. This procedure is more involved than a dermal filler, because it requires the removal of fat from one part of your body that will then be transferred to your face. This is a great way to ensure that your body will accept the filler, since it is already a part of your body.

The procedure is concerned a minor surgery and is entirely outpatient. The only concern is that depending on how the fat settles in your cheeks, you might need to have the procedure repeated in order to get the best results. On the plus side, the results will be permanent, keeping your face as full and young-looking as possible.

Implants

Finally, the last type of cheek augmentation that you can consider is a cheek implant. This is a surgical procedure, where the doctor would place an implant to increase the projection of the cheek bones. This is the least common form of cheek augmentation, but it can work for the patients that need it.

Results

Initially, regardless of the method of cheek augmentation that you have done, it will be difficult to see the final results due to swelling. Even with dermal fillers, you can expect some minor swelling at the injection site as your skin adjusts to the filler. Gradually, the swelling from your procedure will reduce and leave you with the desired appearance.

Healing time is fastest with dermal fillers since there is no fat to be harvested elsewhere. With fat injections, the harvest site will also need to heal properly. Cheek implants are the most involved and will have some recovery time as well, before the cheeks return to a shape that you were hoping to achieve.

It is important to follow the doctor’s post op instructions exactly in order to heal properly and achieve the ideal results.

Who Can Have It Done?

While the need for a cheek augmentation procedure is entirely individual, not everyone is able to have the process performed. In order to have a cheek augmentation, you must be in good health with a stable weight, be a non-smoker, and have a visible need to go forward with the procedure.

If you are in the middle of a weight loss journey, it is better if you reach your goal weight before having any procedures performed to alter the way that you look.

The first step in this process for you would be to call and schedule a consultation with Dr. Pirani. He will be able to review your concerns and help you to figure out what option is ideal in order to get the results that you are after.