Is Injectable Fillers or Implants Better For Midface Deficiencies?

Q: Is there no way to bringing out the midface with dermal fillers? Are the results not so good as with implants? What is the material of which midface implants are made of? What the advantages and disadvantages of injectable fillers vs implants for midface deficiencies?

A: For midfacial deficiency, albeit of the cheeks, maxilla, or paranasal region, synthetic implants are the preferred treatment. They are far superior to injectable fillers in both results and cost effectiveness. Injectable fillers are intended to treat small soft tissue deficiencies of the facial skin such as wrinkles or folds. They were never intended to be used for more significant bone-based facial deficiencies but rather to be placed into or just under the skin. The sheer cost of placing large volumes of injectable fillers down at the bone level would quickly equal or come close to the cost of implant surgery. When you factor in that they are all temporary, the value proposition of injectable treatments for facial skeletal deficiencies becomes quite poor.

Most facial implants, including those of the midface region, are primarily composed of solid silicone. Silicone is one of the most biocompatible of all implant materials and also offers the largest array of facial implant designs. All midfacial implants are introduced and placed through incisions inside the mouth so there is no external scarring with their use.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis Indiana