Should My Cheek Implants Be Removed Since They Are Causing Me Pain?

Q: I recently had small cheek implants but they don’t seem to have  made much of a difference. No one has really noticed. In addition, I have pain on my left side, it is more swollen, and my teeth and upper lip are numb. I think they should just be removed. Do you think implants should be removed sooner rather than later? What sort of time frame would you suggest -one week, two weeks etc?  At this point I am taking Oxycodone just to get through work due to the pain.  My plastic surgeon does not seem overly helpful at this point.  I cannot get in to see him until the end of this month.  The pain was so great over the weekend I was thinking of going to the ER but I did not think an ER doc could do a whole lot to help.  Also, if the implants are removed will there be any permanent structural change to my cheeks, from the pockets that were created for the implants?

A: I would only suggest getting them removed sooner rather than later given your pain issues. If they weren’t  painful, then there would be as much urgency to it. Such pain after cheek implants is uncommon…plus if the implant on the numb side is sitting up against the nerve (don’t know whether it is or isn’t but the numbness on just one side is a concern) the sooner it is removed the better for nerve recovery. With such small implants, there should not be any residual effects from having them in there. The pockets will just shrink down and go away and will leave no residual structural or scar issues.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis Indiana