M. Zakir Sabry, MD

I've felt for many years that my chin and cheeks needed to be augmented, in order to give my face as a whole a greater sense of balance and harmony. At age thirty-seven, I am finally moving forward. I considered implants, filler, and fat grafting as possible solutions. To my eye, the augmentation that each option provides has a discernibly different look to it. Implants are firm and provide a dramatic and three-dimensional sort of augmentation. They're also better at imitating bone structure, in my opinion. They last the longest. Believe it or not, implants end up being more economical than filler in the long run (I am unfamiliar with the cost of fat transfer). Filler has to be touched up at least yearly, and just the first three or four filler treatments together equal the cost of an implant.

I chose Dr. M. Zakir Sabry for my surgery. He was recommended by my primary care physician, who has been my doctor for fifteen years and whom I trust a great deal. I felt comfortable in Dr. Sabry's office and with him and his medical assistant, Kristen, who is great. I could tell he was listening carefully to my aesthetic goals and preferences and that he understood and respected them. Having done a lot of research on the procedures, I was opinionated on how I wanted to approach them, and he respected the views I had formed while also offering suggestions for what might provide an even better cosmetic result.

We are going with:
-a large or extra large Terino Extended Anatomical Chin from Implantech (he will decide during surgery which size, between the two, suits me better--I suspect it will be extra large); and
-medium ePTFE-Coated Binder Submalar II cheek implants, also from Implantech.
(RealSelf, please do not edit out the implant selections. The size, shape, design, material, and manufacturer are absolutely essential pieces of information for patients. Thank you.)

My surgery is scheduled for December 22, 2022. I am very excited, but also slightly nervous, as surgery always comes with risks. I know I found it very helpful to read through patients' chronicles of their plastic surgery journeys, and I'd like to offer the same help to others who are considering facial implants.

I will be back to post updates.
Updated on 22 Dec 2022:
Just a quick note that the surgery happened today and everything went smoothly. If you have questions about how the process unfolds, please comment, and I'm happy to elaborate. I have two photos I'd like to post, but RealSelf is telling me they're too large (although I've double-checked the size and they're fine). Hope there's a fix, and I'll add the pics later if there is. One is from immediately following surgery. One is from a few hours later. I hope these pictures will help other people getting one or the other or both of these procedures to have an idea of what to expect to see the day of surgery, which I know I was curious about: what those first looks in the camera phone would be like. Obviously, I'm swollen (and my hair is a mess). However, I already feel confident, from what I can see, that I'll be happy with the ultimate cosmetic result. It's amazing to look in the mirror and have . . . cheeks and a chin.


Updated on 26 Dec 2022:
I had hoped to post sooner, but I was having some problems with the site, which still haven't completely resolved.

I was operated on last week Thursday, and as of the time I’m writing, it’s Monday—so, day four.



I tried to include two pictures, but the site is again telling me they are too large. Assuming I find a way to get them up later, I will describe them. One is from the day after surgery, and the other is from today. You’ll be able to tell which is which by the level of swelling: It has gone down quickly, even without prednisone (which my doctor advised me to avoid, because it interferes with the healing process). Icing with very gentle pressure several times a day, and sleeping with special post-surgical pillows that keep your head elevated, help. Oddly, where I’m noticing the swelling most today is my upper lip, where I had not noticed it before. Here’s my theory. My surgeon decided to make all the incisions (for both chin and cheeks) inside my mouth (that’s standard for cheek implants, but chin implants are also often done through a small external incision under the chin). To give the surgeon full access to my mouth, the anesthesiologist ran the breathing tube through my nose (I was under general anesthesia, so needed a breathing tube, which would usually go through the mouth). The incisions were closed with dissolvable sutures. From what I’ve read, the immune system recognizes dissolvable sutures as a foreign body and “attacks” them and that’s part of what causes them to break down. While this process unfolds, the area can feel sort of inflamed and swollen, and I hope that’s all that’s going on as far as the lip (note that the incisions sit in the crevice between the lip and gum—for both implants, but the upper part of the mouth for the cheeks and the lower for the chin).



The bruising has been minimal, although the one place where I am noticing it—and which you can see in the picture—is on my lower neck. That’s a bit strange, since my neck wasn’t worked on directly. The area under my chin—the jowls, I guess?—also feels a bit tender. Although neither area was operated on directly, my understanding is that a chin implant can “take up” some of the loose neck skin, and I’m guessing, if that happens in a dramatic enough way, there may be some signs of trauma in the area. On the upside, I’m happy to see that a considerable amount of loose neck skin is now gone.



Another thing I’ve noticed during recovery is that the skin on my face has been very flaky. From what I’ve read online, there are multiple factors that contribute to this, but it’s not unusual after surgery. Separately, there’s also some slight numbness on my lower right lip and the right side of my chin, but some temporary numbness is to be expected.



On Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, I was on a liquid diet, using meal replacement drinks like Ensure. This was necessary since the mouth becomes swollen and sore because of the intraoral incisions. The midface and lower face also take a while to regain normal animation and flexibility, so actually getting food past the lips is hard in the first two or three days after surgery. Yesterday, Sunday, I began to advance to soft solid foods.



The pain was moderate Thursday (again, the day of surgery), Friday, and Saturday. During that time, I was on a prescription painkiller. Yesterday and today, the pain has been mild enough for me to forego the pain medication. I am of course continuing the antibiotics until I finish the full course. I have also been using a prescription oral rinse. With the oral incisions, you can’t take normal care of your teeth for a bit, mainly because you don’t want to disturb the incisions, but you also need a way to minimize the exposure of the incisions to bacteria. The first couple days, you simply can’t brush, but you can use the prescription oral rinse, which works remarkably well to keep the mouth feeling clean. Yesterday, I began to brush the backs of my teeth and the chewing surfaces using a toothbrush intended for very young children. I will play it by ear as far as when I can resume normal dental hygiene.



Sleeping has been a bit of a challenge—not because of pain, but because I want to sleep on my back for about a month, to minimize the risk that sleeping on my side could cause an implant to shift. I normally sleep on my side. Staying on your back the whole night is harder than it sounds, but using one of those airplane-type pillows that wrap around your neck helps.



Overall, it has been an easy recovery, and I hope it stays that way.



I know I was wondering, pre-op, about what would keep the implants from moving around. It depends on the surgeon’s technique. In my case, the cheek implants have a thin coating of ePTFE, which allows a small amount of tissue ingrowth to help stabilize the implants. While the tissue ingrowth forms, the implant sits in a tight pocket that should help prevent a perceptible shift, and of course, I try to avoid any force or substantial pressure to the cheeks. The style of chin implant I wanted was only available in pure, uncoated silicone, which doesn’t integrate with the surrounding tissues. My surgeon used sutures to help secure it. By about six weeks, scar tissue will have formed a capsule around the chin implant, and that should also help prevent migration.



As for how I feel about the results—so far, I love them. From what I’ve read, you don’t see the “real” result until all the swelling is gone. Based on what I see now, I think that we chose the right sizes and shapes for the implants, that Dr. Sabry did a good job placing them, and that I was an appropriate candidate for the procedures.



The cheek implants, which were the submalar type, mostly augment the medial, fleshy part of my cheek, which is where I needed it. They also add a tiny bit more projection to the cheekbones. The contours of my midface are more normal now (they were pretty flat before, especially when my face was at rest), and I like them better. The nasolabial folds are softer. The cheek implants also—and this was a surprise—shifted a small scar that bothered me out of the frontal view of my face. I would caution male patients to be conservative about the size of cheek implants. Some fullness in the medial cheek supports a youthful look, but a very full medial cheek can make the face look feminine. My cheek implants are just mediums, and they provide significant augmentation. I considered large, and I’m glad I decided on medium instead. My understanding is that women can pull off larger submalar implants. Of course, you also have to consider how flat your cheeks are to start with.



The chin looks great to my eye. I like both the added forward projection and the added width. I also like the shape, which is slightly square. Note that we used an extra-large implant for my chin, which tells me that men can err on the more aggressive side with size selection for the chin, keeping in mind how receded the chin is to begin with. I had strongly considered large, which has about a millimeter less forward projection, but I think I would have missed that extra millimeter I got from the extra large. In the face, millimeters count.



I know this was a long post, but I tried to include all the info I wished I had been able to find in the lead-up to surgery. Hope it’s helpful. My updates will be a lot more concise.


Updated on 20 Jan 2023:
Just a quick update to show my results at one month (plus a day). I couldn't get a perfect pic. The shadows in the pic distort the implants slightly, but you'll get a sense. Bottom line: I'm happy with the results and glad I got the procedures.

The internal healing in my mouth has taken longer than I expected. Although the incisions have been closed for a while, the sutures still aren't completely dissolved. But healing time and temporary discomfort are just some of the trade-offs you make when you want to make a cosmetic improvement surgically.

PS RealSelf is again telling me my pic is too large. I'll write to them and see if they will help me get it up.



Updated on 2 Jun 2024:
Just wanted to add a before-and-after pic from profile view, for the benefit of others who are considering facial implants. Still happy with my results. Ignore the many naysayers, re: facial implants, which can be a life-changing tool for the right patient. There's a role in aesthetic medicine for filler and fat transfer, but there remains a role for facial implants as well.

I went to Dr. Zakir Sabry highly recommended by my primary care physician. When i visited Dr. Sabry he listen to me, he saw my problem and he gave options. I like his friendliness and professionalism.
I saw Dr. Sabry a few times before surgery. I needed some tests and see the options with my new insurance.
Surgery was a breeze, post surgery it is a bit challenging, but no pain, no gain.
It's been 3 months since surgery and I couldn't be happier, I think its healing nicely, no scars.
I can wear t shirts and go back to the gym and beach.

I had an great experience with Dr Sabry from day 1! He was welcoming, professional, answered all of my questions, gave great insight and when it came time for surgery, I was sure I made the right choice. I had lipo and a tummy tuck as well as a breast lift December 2021 and I am very happy with my results. I love how Dr Sabry was literally with me every step of the way and even in post op, he followed up with my recover on a regular. I would highly recommend him for all of your cosmetic surgical needs..

I recently got a Septoplasty/Rhinoplasty with Dr M. Zakir Sabry and I am beyond happy with my results. It has only been 9 days from my surgery and the results so far have exceeded my expectations. From the first day I met Dr Sabry, he took his time to make me feel as comfortable as possible with the procedure I was getting. He explained everything in detail and was open to any questions I had. Even his super star receptionist/medical assistant Kristen Fumia was great, she is such a lovely person. She is willing to help every step of the way and make sure all your paperwork and anything you need is ready before surgery.

The day of surgery everyone made me feel so calm, the receptionist, nurses, anesthesiologist and Dr Sabry himself made sure to speak to me one on one before the surgery. This was done in order to give me peace of mind, reassurance and to answer any further questions I had. That to me was priceless. Dr Sabry made sure that the procedure was as smooth as possible from start to finish. Even recovery was smooth. Yes, I had swelling the first 3 days but I was very comfortable and my pain was minimal. At first it is hard to see yourself with a new nose, you get worried because you are obviously still swollen and the desired results are not evident yet. In my case I was very nervous. When I saw my nose for the very first time 2 days after surgery. I was still very swollen, my nose didn't look pleasant, my nostrils looked weird, and I was questioning if I made the right choice, but Dr Sabry made sure to assure me every step of the way.

Now that the swelling is almost completely gone I can only say trust him, and trust the healing process, results get better and better as the days go by. I am honestly really grateful to have chosen such an amazing doctor and an amazing team. He definitely understood what I wanted and needed. I wanted a natural look and I definitely got it. And I am only 9 days in! I am looking forward to seeing what the final results will look like in a couple of months.

I had surgery with Dr. Sabry on 09/01/21. I recieved a Tummy tuck and Lipo. I had an amazing experience with him from beginning to end. Dr. Sabry and his staff made sure everything went well. The aftercare and follow ups were remarkable. He listened to everything I wanted and gave me exactly what I was looking for. I would recommend Dr. Sabry to anyone who asks me about plastic surgeons.

Friendly and professional staff.
“Thank you very much! Everyone is so friendly and I am very thankful for the care I received and my results are exactly what I pictured it to be. Your hours you are available are wonderful. The Doctors, nurses & staff are professional and very thorough.”

Amazing. Office was clean, service was spectacular, and I never felt like I was being rushed. My deviated septum was fixed, and I feel like I can breathe freely! No doubt about this guy

The process was extremely easy too

Everything about my experience here is a 10/10. The front desk staff were extremely welcoming and professional. The office is spotless and easy to find. I was a little nervous about my visit mainly because I am terrified of needles but both medical staff and Dr. Sabry made me feel very relaxed and comfortable. I will definitely come back because not only was my experience wonderful- I feel and look amazing!

I had a great experience with one of the best plastic surgeon in New York . Dr Sabry you are an amazing Doctor , knowledgeable. I was feeling great 3 days after my liposuction. I even drove to my appointment 3 days after. Staff are amazing, great communication skill.

Dr. Sabry is a rare example of being a great doctor and having amazing bedside manner. Winning combination. His caring, skill & professionalism is something I wish all doctors would have. I highly recommend Dr. Sabry.