Would I Benefit From Cheekbone Reduction Surgery?

Q:  Hi! I have been searching for this kind of procedure for cheekbone surgery or reduction. I am glad to have found this site. I come from a family which we have strong cheekbones, but in my case I have been in a violent incident where I was injured and I think I broke or deformed a bit of my jaw. Now I have some asymmetry in my cheekbone as it seems to have become more prominent after this injury. I would really like to know if it would be possible to reduce them. I used to have a lot of charisma when I was young before my violent incident. Since then it has totally changed me. I would like to know more details in this procedure, time of recovery, possible complications, etc. Thank you.

A:  Cheekbone reduction is about narrowing the width of the body of the zygoma and the zygomatic arch. It is a common procedure for those whose face is naturally a little flatter and more wide as exists in certain ethnicities. It can also be used to treat a cheekbone fracture where the body of the zygoma has been pushed back which wides the zygomatic arch, making the cheek area have less prominence and more width.

Your description of your cheekbone problem is a it confusing to me. On the one hand, you state you have naturally strong cheekbones (forward prominence) but, after an injury, they have become more prominent. That would be very unusual given how the cheekbone fractures. For this reason, it would be best to send me some photos of your face for my assessment before I could provide any recommendations, specifically whether cheekbone reduction surgery would be benefical to you.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis Indiana