Can My Cheek Bone Reduction Results Be Fixed?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I had cheekbone reduction surgery done five years ago and I felt it left me with asymmetric cheeks. CT scan pictures after the surgery show that the cheekbones were probably removed too much and they were placed in different positions vertically. There are ‘gaps’ in the cheekbone area. I wonder if this can be fixed.

A: It is not rare to have some asymmetry in the position of the bones after cheek bone reduction surgery. Besides the fact that most people’s cheek bones are not really symmetric initially, there are always going to be differences in the angle of the cuts and the bone fixation points  between the sides since they are not independent of each and can not be view intraoperatively in a simultaneous fashion. That being said you do have external cheek bone asymmetry with the right side being more medial or moved inward that the left. I will assume by your comments that your ‘good’ side is the left one and the side you seek improvement is the right side. That could be improved by either repositioning the anterior end of the right cheek bone or adding a small implant over the osteotomy site.

In regards to the cheek bone gaps seen on the CT scan, that is an early after surgery x-ray. At this point years later, those bone gaps have likely filled in and healed with bone. If not, they have a fibrous union and there is no aesthetic benefit to having those bony gaps ‘fixed’.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana