Were My Cheekbones Over Reduced?

Q: Dr. Eppley, The post cheek reduction X-rays look pretty even but the cheekbones seem off and there’s some hollowing I wasn’t expecting. I’m not sure how much is due to swelling. It’s been almost five months since the procedure. Some areas of skin seem to be very loose. And one cheekbone does seem to be farther forward facing than the other one. I’m not sure if a cheekbone or temple implant could fix this. I’m worried they took too much off my cheekbones.

A: These post cheekbone reduction issues are not rare. The execution of the operation is not easy in terms of bony symmetry and loss of structural support will cause some amount of soft tissue laxity/sag.

You are correct in that implant augmentation is how these issues are treated for which improvements are usually obtained. The only question is whether these should be standard or custom cheek implants.

Dr. Barry Eppley

World-Renowned Plastic Surgeon