How Do I Choose The Best Cheek Implant For My Face?

Q: Dr. Eppley, What I am most interested in is the cheek enhancement.  I feel like creating volume there will help balance everything else out.  If I still want to make other enhancements after, I suppose we can do them at separate times.  My question at this point is, considering how many different variations for cheek shapes there are, is how do we determine the best shape for me.  I know what I like, but I’m not sure what the materials are that would achieve that result.  I seem to remember several different options for custom implants and fillers on your site based on the patients face structure.  I was seen my someone who gave the option of three sizes of Gore- tex implants and I am looking for a more custom and personal approach which is what drew me to your site.  I could show you some photos of shapes I like or even photoshop my image myself to indicate what I’m looking to achieve.

A: When it comes to cheek implant options, the number of different types depends on the manufacturer. For most patients, there are enough styles and sizes to produce a satisfactory outcome. Furthermore, it is easy and very common to take an existing off-the-shelf cheek implant and modify to make what I call a ‘semi-custom’ implant. True custom implants can be made off of a 3-D model of the patient and obviously this is as custom as it gets. Which one of these three implant options, stock, semi-custom and custom, is best for you is yet to be determined based on your exact aesthetic needs. You doing some Photoshop to illustrate what you are after would be very helpful.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana