Tissue Sagging after Zygoma Reduction

Q: Dr. Eppley, From your blog, I’ve read that weak cheekbones can contribute to midface aging. Does this mean that with zygoma reduction, there could be potentially adverse side effects in the future, even if the surgery was a deemed “a success” say a year after the surgery? Would taking out a wedge of bone from the zygoma body and sliding the zygoma arch in be a catalyst for premature aging years after the surgery?

A: The potential negative effects of cheekbone or zyoma reduction, tissue sagging, is something that will become evident 3 to 6 months after the surgery. If has not occurred by then it will not. Whether cheekbone reduction contributes to premature aging is not known. There is no medical literature that supports this potential long-term concern in a zygoma reduction surgery where no after surgery tissue sag as observed. This is not something I would worry about if one has had a successful cheekbone reduction surgery at one year after the procedure and no such soft tissue sag ha occurred.

An interesting question is why soft tissue sag occurs in sone zygoma reduction but not all of them. In fact it appears to be a relatively small occurrence but one that definitely exists.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana