Cheek Lifts

What is a cheek lift?

In our thirties the facial soft tissues begin to descend and we loose our round cheeks which give us a youthful look. The cheeks flatten, the face elongates. We loose volume both in the lateral and anterior-posterior dimension. Cheek lifting is a surgical procedure to reverse this process and set the "clock back "to an earlier time. Different techniques were developed for cheek lifting from simple suture suspension, to cheek implants, subperiosteal release and repositioning of the facial soft tissues with either suture or Coapt's mid cheek device. Depending on the patient's age, extrinsic aging (sun damage, smoking) and intrinsic aging (genes passed on by your parents) the procedure can be done with a facelift or as a separate procedure. If no skin excision is required, a cheek lift can be done through a small incision inside your mouth just above the upper teeth. The suspension of the tissues is done to the temporalis fascia via a small incision within the hairline. No shaving is done and this incision heals with almost imperceptible scar.

On a younger person, who has good skin elasticity, but develops some early "deflation" of the face, it is possible to improve this without surgery or with limited surgery. Micro fat grafting to the face is an excellent and reliable procedure to enhance the cheeks, nasolabial folds, lips, temporal hollow and prejowl areas. With the recent introduction of  FDA approved longer lasting fillers, such as Juvederm, Restylane, Perlane, Radiesse and Artefill, one can obtain excellent results that can last from one year to 2-3 years. This is without surgery!  Sculptra ( Poly L-Lactic acid) is a volumizing injectable substance which stimulates collagen synthesis. This can correct sunken in cheeks from fat loss or the ravages of HIV. It can last from 2-5 years. As a plastic surgeon I am knowledgeable about all these surgical and nonsurgical techniques and I can advise you about the most cost effective treatment which gives you the best results.

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