Cheek Implant for Flat Face

Jonass,

At the age of 19, facial bone growth should be fairly stabilized, and I wouldn't expect your cheeks to develop any further at this point.  Cheek implants are an excellent way to produce malar augmentation in someone with "flat face" as you described.  At the young age of 19, I would make sure you are certain that you want to alter your face through a surgical procedure. You may want to consider having an injectable filler used to augment your cheeks. This will produce excellent results as well, and the results wont be as "permanent" as compared to a cheek implant. If you decide you do like the new augmented look, then you can choose to have a more permanent procedure done.  Either way, make sure you go to a Board Certified plastic surgeon or facial plastic surgeon with considerable facial implant experience.

Best of Luck,

Glenn Vallecillos, MD, FACS, Beverly Hills, California

The cheek augmentation procedure is a great way to give more definition to a flat cheek area. The implants come in different shapes such as malar and submalar, different sizes, such as small, medium, large, and extra large. Your surgeon determines the size and type of implant at the time of consultation. The face is fully grown by age 16-18, so there should be no issues with the face continuing to grow. The cheek implants are inserted through an incision inside the mouth above the upper teeth and placed directly over the bone underneath the periosteum. Most patients are noticeably swollen and bruised for approximately ten days after the procedure.  

The appearance of your face is in large part due to the underlying bony structure. At 19 years old, your facial growth is complete. If your bony structure is flat, then your face will lack certain contours that we identify as attractive. Cheek augmentation with silicone implants will enhance your cheek bones and provide those attractive contours, permanently.   

Bone growth which will increase cheek projection will not occur after age 19. Cheek implants are an excellent way to to improve this unwanted inherited chacteristic.

For those people, like you, with congenital malar (cheek) deficiency, malar implants work very well. Contact a Plastic Surgeon with significant head and neck experience.