Will Having Filler Material In My Cheeks Affect The Ability To Have A Custom Cheek Implant Done?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I am interested in facial  asymmetry surgery, specifically fixing my cheek asymmetry. I had a few syringes of Bellafill to try and help my cheek asymmetry but at the time I did not know surgery was an option. Most importantly the filler has not improved the problem even in the slightest. I visited the provider who performed the injections last week and asked him to remove the syringes in order for the CT scan to show my true facial structure. He informed me the only way to remove Bellafill is through surgery. I certainly hope this will not have a negative effect on the CT scan or the surgery.. 

Since this did not improve anything, can we still proceed with the surgery? I know eventually the Bellafill will wear off, and I am not sure how that would work with a cheek implant. I am a 99.9 percent sure the Bellafill did nothing to improve the asymmetry. Its only effect has been a slight bump in my cheek area

This is an important issue to address before I proceed with the CT scan and cust4om cheek implant surgery. 

A: Having Bellafil in the tissues does not preclude you from having surgery, particularly since it had no external aesthetic effect. The material may be able to see seen on the CT scan but likely will not as the PMMA beads are translucent. We may be able to locate and colorize them as part of the implant design to see how they relate, if at all, to the implant design. Regardless I do not see it as any impediment for designing or placing a custom cheek implant.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana