Can Cheek Implants Make Me Look Better Both Smiling and Non-Smiling?

Q: Dr. Eppley, On a moment at the beach I was photographed like this. In this moment I was smiling and the photo was spontaneous. I would like to know why I look so good when I smile and I don’t look good when I don’t smile or laugh ?  

Is it possible to make my face as beautiful as in this photo while smiling, but to look as good as in the photo even without smiling ? What implant or implants can bring such a beauty to life?

A: Like in all people that smile, two specific facial changes occur…the cheek area gets fuller (which looks better in a thin face) and the upward movement of the corners of the mouth occurs. (smiling…which is always a more pleasing appearance than a horizontally oriented or downturned mouth corners)

When patients like the appearance of their cheeks when they smile (fuller) one has to be careful what happens when that surgical change is done to what they then look like when their face is in the static or non smiling position. There will be tradeoffs between the desired dynamic vs static resting effect. In other words while cheek implants will make your cheeks fuller at rest, that may make them too full when smiling.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana