Is medpor or silicone better for cheek implant surgery?

Question

I visited 2 doctors, one prefer to use medpor material, because I have a thin skin, and medpor is not moving. But he was warning me, it can get infected after years, and silicon is that same. But I've read on the internet, that medpor is commonly getting infected because of the pore structure. The second doctor have different opinion, and he thinks that, if medpor once enter the body, there's less possibility to get infected, than with silicone implants. What do you think about it?

Richard G. Reish, MD, FACS · Answer

Hello and thank you for your question.   I always use
medpor malar implants with screw fixation.  Silicone malar implants tend to
have a high rate of malrotation over time.  When good technique is used, the infection rate is relatively low. 
Best wishes and good luck.
Richard G. Reish, M.D.  FACS
Harvard-trained plastic surgeon

Barry L. Eppley, MD, DMD · Answer

There no significant or proven infection differences between silicone or Medpor facial implants. What counts the most is the shape of the implant and whether the right shape for your aesthetic needs is available by which material.

Francis R. Palmer, III, MD (retired) · Answer

Hi, I have used silastic cheek, chin and lip implants for over 30 years.  They are the "gold" standard by which all other facial implants are measured.  Medpore becomes integrated into the bone as soon as 1 month making removal or replacement very difficult should you ever choose to do so.  In addition, aesthetically, I prefer the silastic implants and for those two reasons I do not use Medpore facial implants.  The rate of infection with properly placed silastic implants (cheek, chin or lip) is quite rare. There are many different shapes and sizes and this is where experience as an expert facial shaping surgeon comes into play. I have performed many facial shaping procedures using dermal fillers, facial implants (cheek, chin), liposuction and/or facelifts for over 30 years.  Following my beauty principles, men look chiseled and handsome with angularity in the cheeks, chin and mandibular angles. Cheek implants can be placed using several different approaches but using a small incision on the inside of the mouth remains the "gold standard" and most accepted manner of placement.  This technique places the silastic "cheek implant" on the cheek bone itself below the tissue covering of the bone in what is called an "implant pocket or space".  The tissues are closed in layers from the inside outward and a double water tight closure is done along the incision line. 
 I have placed silastic cheek implants for 30 years in military, SWAT, LE, professional fighters, as well as actors and many regular people who are active.  When placed below the covering of the bone and when the layers of the cheek are closed from the inside out, there is no need for fixation screws or sutures in my humble opinion.  I do ask that all my cheek implant and chin implant patients sleep on a U-shaped pillow for 1 month following the surgery.  In addition, I have had the opportunity on numerous occasions to replace silastic cheek implants (placed by others) that had been screwed into the cheek bone.  During the replacement it was evident that the metal screws pushed right through the soft implant as it was tightened down on the hard cheek bone.  Which makes perfect sense.  So in the long run, these fixation methods alone are no guarantee that the implant won't move.  Proper placement, proper implant pocket creation and meticulous closure of all the tissues layers is what is required in my humble opinion.
 In contrast, a sub-malar cheek implant is as the name applies placed below the cheek bone thereby being incapable of actually changing the shape of the cheek bone itself and since the implant isn't placed below the periosteum, the implant must be sutured to the tissues themselves which is why I do not use or recommend sub-malar cheek implants.  
 Hope this helps.

Is medpor or silicone better for cheek implant surgery?

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Is medpor or silicone better for cheek implant surgery?

Answers (3)

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Recommended reading

Everything you need to know about Cheek Implants

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