Should I Have My Medpor Cheek Implants Removed?

Q: Dr. Eppley, Two years ago, I had cheek/infraorbital rim implants as well as jaw and chin implants placed using Medpor material. Prior to that, I underwent orthognathic surgery, and the implants were custom-made. Since the procedure, I’ve been dealing with a low-grade, chronic infection at the site of the right cheek implant, with occasional flare-ups. About a year ago, I had surgical debridement and antibiotic treatment. However, I suspect that the implant may ultimately need to be removed. I would like to ask your opinion on whether it might be advisable to remove both cheek implants and replace them with silicone implants, given the lower risk of infection and the relative ease of removal if needed. Additionally, I am wondering how long the process would take—from removal to replacement—whether this is something you could perform, and if you could provide a rough estimate of the cost. Thank you very much for your time. I look forward to hearing from you.

A:As you have undoubtably learned by now once an implant gets infected the long term success of resolution of that infected implant  is rarely if ever achieved short of removing the implant. Based on your history that time appears to have arrived. What you need to do is first have the infected implant removed which may or may not include the opposite unaffected side. You then need to let the tissues heal before re-implantation. That time should be about three months. That will also give you time to design new implants for the secondary re-implantation. It would not be prudent at this point to do an immediate removal and replacement of the infected implant in the face of a long term chronically infected implant.

Dr. Barry Eppley

World-Renowned Plastic Surgeon