What Type Of Cheek Implant Is Best For My Face?

Q: I am interested in getting cheek implants as I think they would help my facial appearance. But I don’t really know if that is true. If it is, what type of cheek implant would be best? I know there are different types, like malar, submalar and shell styles, so which would be best for me? I have attached some pictures of my face for your opinion. Thanks and looking forward to your recommendations.

A: When looking at cheek augmentation, you must first determine whether and where any cheek bone (zygomatic or malar) deficiency exists. This requires looking for obvious bony deficiences of the midface, the relationship of the eye to the brow and cheek bones and the thickness of the overlying soft tissues. This must all be taken in context of the overall facial shape as well.

In looking at your face, you have a longer face that is fairly skeletonized. Your eyes do not have a lot of fat around them which makes them more deep-set. This is magnified by prominent brow bones and heavy eyebrow hair density. Your malar area shows good width but there is anterior malar and infraorbital rim deficiency. This is why your cheeks appear flat to you in a side or three-quarter view. When considering cheek implants, therefore, it is important that you avoid submalar and any malar implant that adds much zygomatic arch width. Augmenting these areas are not helpful to your face. Malar implants that add some anterior fullness along the suborbital groove and front end of the cheek is where your augmentation needs to be. This cold be done with either a modified malar shell implant or an extended tear trough style. Either way the volume should not be much greater than about 5mms. Too big of a cheek implant size will make the eyes even more deep-set or hollow in appearance.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis Indiana