Cheek Implants

Q: Dr. Eppley, I read as you get older cheek implants can start to look unnatural due to loss of facial fat etc, this is something I don’t have much off! and also would you have any idea how implants will effect my smile given it is quite a large change I am seeking?
A: In answer to your cheek implants questions:

1) Whether facial thinning will eventually cause an unnatural show of the implants depends on one’s facial tissue makeup and how they age. This is most relevant to young very thin females who have little facial fat now and will have none much later in life. Such thin tissues may eventually allow for the cheek implants ti reveal themselves through the tissues. This is rarely an issue for most men. But the reality is that most of today’s cheek implant styles are broader with thinner edges so this may not even be an issue for older females with  low facial fat volumes.

2) Since cheek implants are placed through the mouth and up and under the lip, the swelling will cause some temporary disruption of full smile animation for a few weeks. But cheek implants, small or big, are placed under the periosteum below all muscles and nerves that work the smile. Thus they should have no long-term disruption of facial expression.

Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana