Buccal Lipectomy

Q: Dr. Eppley, I have a very wide face and protruding cheek bones and it’s always been an insecurity of mine. I’ve also always has chubby lower cheeks.when I smile my cheeks tend to protrude a lot which makes my profile look very awkward. I really want to have a slimmer more masculine face/jawline. I’ve also been considering a lip lift to shorten the gap between my upper lip and nose, and a nose job for a slimmer less bulbous nose. What surgeries are right for me? And what combination of surgeries are safe to perform simultaneously?

A: When it comes to fullness of the lower cheeks, which are below the cheekbones and down closer to the side of the mouth, a defatting approach is needed. Given your pictures and the fullness that runs from just below the cheekbone almost down to the jawline, I would recommend the combination of a buccal lipectomy and perioral mound liposuction. These two together are the most you can do for helping change a round face to a more V-shape based on soft tissue changes only. It is also important to remember that the thickness and quantity of skin also plays a role so there are limits as to what facial defatting can do.

When it comes to a rhinoplasty and a subnasal lip lift, I do not recommend that these two procedures be done together. This has to do with ensuring good blood flow into the intervening columellar segment. They will need to be staged or done separately.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana