What caused my face to flatten and lose my cheekbones? (Photos)

Question

What are non surgical and surgical options that can fix this? When I was around 15 or 16 I had a pretty angular face. My cheekbones stuck out and my jawline was straight with my chin protruding a little as shown in the pictures. These photos were more recently after I got my braces taken off (like a few months after). Now my cheeks have no volume and my jaw is angled downwards. What could have possible caused this? Sleeping too much, laying down too much? I’m 18 now and just took these photos.

Jason Emer, MD · Answer

This is my expertise and a huge portion of my practice. Asymmetry is normal and expected. Buccal fat pad gives slimming not symmetry. Masseter botox will make you slimmer and make the jawline more loose. Fillers help give shaping and contouring. If you want perfect or close to perfect symmetry you need maxillofacial surgery or implants customized. I suggest seeing an expert to go through all options. Most of my younger clients use fillers to give them shaping especially on the cheeks, jawline, and chin which make the face look more slim and tight; and threads such as PDO or Instalift can build collagen and support the facial shaping and skin looseness over time, slowing down the aging process and given the face a more “snatched” look; and morpheus8 or PiXel8 deep microneedling RF can tighten crepe skin especially on the neck and jawline and is great for long term tightening of the full face, neck and chest; its often used to give the face a slimmer more sculpted look because it tightens the skin and gives lift. an early face lift can be performed as well even in younger clients if they want a different facial shape, maxillofacial surgery with bone breaking or shaving can also be done. For facial slimming a combination of treatments are always needed. Options include: 1. Buccal fat pad removal to reduce fat on the lower face 2. Factite or Renuvion/J Plasma to tighten the lower face, jawline, and chin to reduce fat and give the jawline and neck tightening and shaping. 3. Botox to the masseter to reduce the muscular size of the jaw giving the face an illusion of being more slender 4. Fillers to the jawline, chin, cheeks, temples and brow help to shape the face and make it more angled and defined Always use at home derma rolling (see link to Emerageskin x anteageMD roller plus stem cells/hyaluronic acid ampules) and peels like emeragecosmetics enlighten or aerify that can be used to improve skin quality and tighten the skin while improving wrinkles, pigmentation, acne, and Melasma. See an expert who does facial shaping with surgical and non surgical methods to get a comprehensive option. Best, Dr. Emer.

Michael P. Morrissette, DDS, FACS · Answer

There are both surgical and non-surgical options for enhancing your cheeks. The non-surgical options include fillers and  fat grafting. In general, the placement of fillers is a temporary treatment and will likely have to be repeated every year. The potential of fat grafting is that not all the fat will dissolve so it may be a more permanent solution. The best surgical option is the placement of cheek implants.

Ali Riza Öreroglu, MD · Answer

Fillers, fat grafting and implants can all be used to help enhance the facial contours and create volume and definition where it is wanted. It will be best to consult a board certified facial plastic surgeon in person and discuss your goals and options after a physical examination.Hope this helps,Ali Rıza Öreroğlu, MD FEBOPRASEuropean and Turkish Board Certified Aesthetic, Plastic and Reconstructive SurgeonIstanbul, Turkey

William Dougherty, MD · Answer

Hi Thrifty 4911-
Great question! It is a little hard to see from the photos what changes might have occurred. Laying down, sleeping etc can cause temporary changes in the appearance of your face but will not cause permanent changes. However, our face does change as we are or gain/lose weight. For augmentation of the cheeks and jawline/chin, fillers are a great place to start. There are more permanent options but I would recommend starting with fillers. I recommend consulting with a plastic surgeon or dermatologist to discuss.

Reuel Aspacio, MD, FAAD - Account Suspended · Answer

Hi there,There are many reasons why we experience volume loss.  Sleeping position plays a factor as does weight loss and gain.  I would have a consultation with a certified injector and discuss fillers.  I think that is your best most natural option.Best of luck...

What caused my face to flatten and lose my cheekbones? (Photos)

Answers (5)

Answer: Facial volume

Answer: Facial volume

Answer: Volume loss

Answer: Volume loss

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Everything you need to know about Cheek Augmentation

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What caused my face to flatten and lose my cheekbones? (Photos)

Answers (5)

Answer: Facial volume

Answer: Facial volume

Answer: Volume loss

Answer: Volume loss

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Recommended reading

Everything you need to know about Cheek Augmentation

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.