Cheek Augmentation in the Philippines
What is Cheek Augmentation?
Cheek implants, also sometimes called cheek augmentation, are inserted to enhance cheekbones or to make the cheeks fuller. Like other types of plastic surgery procedures, cheek augmentation can make your face appear more youthful or balance your facial features, making you feel more attractive. This extremely popular procedure is offered all over the world for both women and men.
Benefits of Cheek Augmentation
The cheek implants will change the appearance and contours of your face and create a permanent augmentation.
- Your cheeks will be fuller and higher and improve your appearance.
- This balances your facial features while providing a more youthful and balanced look.
- The procedure will boost your self-confidence and provide a better facial proportion.
Candidates for Cheek Augmentation
- You are physically healthy and at a stable weight
- You have realistic expectations
- You are a nonsmoker
- You are bothered by the appearance of your cheeks
- You have cheeks that are too flat, thin or saggy
Consultation
- Your surgical goals
- Medical conditions, drug allergies and medical treatments
- Current medications, vitamins, herbal supplements, alcohol, tobacco and drug use
- Previous surgeries
Your cosmetic surgeon will also:
- Evaluate your general health status and any pre-existing health conditions or risk factors
- Examine your face
- Take photographs
- Discuss your options and recommend a course of treatment
- Discuss likely outcomes of cheek augmentation surgery and any risks or potential complications
The success and safety of your cheek augmentation procedure depends very much on your complete candidness during your consultation. You’ll be asked a number of questions about your health, desires and lifestyle.
Risks and Safety
The possible risks of cheek augmentation include, but are not limited to:
- Bleeding
- Infection
- Poor healing of incisions
- Hematoma
- Anesthesia risks
- Fluid accumulation (seroma)
- Skin loss
- Numbness or other changes in skin sensation
- Skin discoloration and/or prolonged swelling
- Unfavorable scarring
- Fatty tissue found deep in the skin might die (fat necrosis)
- Fatty cysts
- Deep vein thrombosis, cardiac and pulmonary complications
- Thick scar tissue around cheek implant (capsular contracture)
- Cheek implant displacement
- Asymmetry
- Lumpiness
- Blindness (rare complication of fat transfer)
- Suboptimal aesthetic result
- Possibility of revisional surgery
- Persistent pain
- Poor aesthetic result of donor site for fat transfer
These risks and others will be fully discussed prior to your consent. It’s important that you address all your questions directly with your plastic surgeon.
Preparation
- Get lab testing or a medical evaluation
- Take certain medications or adjust your current medications
- Stop smoking
- Avoid taking aspirin, anti-inflammatory drugs and herbal supplements as they can increase bleeding
Procedure
Step 1 – Anesthesia
Medications are administered for your comfort during the surgical procedure. The choices include local anesthesia, intravenous sedation and general anesthesia. Your doctor will recommend the best choice for you.
Step 2 – The incision
A cheek augmentation requires different incisions based on the technique used. If fat transfer is used to enhance your cheeks, you will likely have a small incision near the area of fat that is harvested and small incisions near your cheeks. These incisions usually measure just several millimeters in length. If solid cheek implants are used, then the incision is based on your surgeon’s preferred approach. Some plastic surgeons insert cheek implants through an incision inside the mouth, whereas other plastic surgeons perform the operation through an incision under your eyelid.
Step 3 – Closing the incisions
Sutures, skin adhesives or tapes close the skin incisions.
Step 4 – See the results
Your cheek augmentation will result in fuller and possibly softer-appearing cheeks. Some patients find that their cheeks can even appear lifted. The results of solid cheek implants are permanent, whereas the results from fat transfer may last several years.
Recovery
You will be given specific instructions that may include:
- How to care for your surgical site(s) following surgery
- Medications to apply or take orally to aid healing and reduce the risk of infection
- Specific concerns to look for at the surgical site or in your general health
- When to follow up with your plastic surgeon.
Healing will continue for several weeks as swelling decreases. Continue to follow your plastic surgeon’s instructions and attend follow-up visits as scheduled.
Results
What to expect in Cheek Augmentation
The cheek implants will change the appearance and contours of your face and create a permanent augmentation. The results may be initially obscured by swelling. If your cheeks are augmented using fat transfer, the results will be based upon how much fat was injected into your cheeks and how much fat your body has retained. This can be determined by many factors, including surgical technique and your own body’s individual metabolism. If solid cheek implants are used, then your final result will be more predictable.