Facial Reshaping

Q: Dr. Eppley, I have some facial reshaping questions. Are cheekbone and v-line surgery (zygomatic arch reduction + jawline reduction + genioplasty) the only ways to reduce the size of the face? How much would temporalis muscle reduction help? I am a Korean-American female looking to reduce the size and change the shape of my face.

A: Facial reshaping surgery to reduce or thin the face consists of a variety of bone and fat procedures. From a facial bone standpoint, cheekbone and jawline reduction (chin to angles) are the acknowledged facial reduction procedures. They do no necessarily reduce facial size per se that much but does reshape it or make it look more narrow.They are other companion fat reduction procedures of the neck and midface as well. (buccal lipectomies, perioral liposuction, neck liposuction.

Reduction of the posterior tenporalis muscle above the ear makes the profile of the head more narrow and less convex in the frontal view. While it is not a facial procedure per se, it can be effective at making the entire craniofacial shape more narrow. It can be a good complement to the other aforementioned facial reshaping procedures.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana