I am thinking of getting cheek implants. Am I a good candidate?

If you do not have any underlying health issues, then combined cheek and mid face implants may benefit you. There are some longer lasting fillers such as Volume 2-3 years and Sculptra 3 years which may be options to consider as well. Sizing would need to be done with a consultation so that measurements can be made. Good luck in your area.

 A full set of photographs of the face are required to make a determination, because the cheeks/ maxilla and  the implants are both three-dimensional structures. Silastic cheek implants are placed for patients who have a flat maxilla and a flat cheek profile and desire augmentation in the mid face. Cheek implants are manufactured in a large array of shapes and sizes which is best determined at the time of the consultation and examination. For many examples, diagrams and more information, please see link and the video below

The combination of cheek and temporal implants can be a very effective approach in the treatment of severe facial lipoatrophy as you have. The best implants for facial wasting are either submalar styles or a combination of malar-submalar shell implant. The goal is to replace the soft tissue loss of the buccal fat pad which extends up into the temples. This is why the combination of cheek and temporal implants works so well.

The most permanent way of correcting loss of facial volume is via facial implants. Even when fat is expertly grafted  and successful it still undergoes involutional loss associated with aging. The size of implant is based on the patient's anatomy, larger face larger implants.  Regards.

nuedan11, actually you are a good candidate and I much prefer implants to fat injections. Much more reliable and over time hold up much better with less complications. See an experienced surgeon who does "only faces". Good luck!

From your photo you appear to have midfacial hypoplasia and possible lipoatrophy of your cheeks as well. Correction will require an implant which can be chosen by your plastic surgeon which offers both thickness as well as overall size. I believe that the Terino Malar Implant from Implantech could be a good choice for you. I like to place these implants through an intraoral approach and secure them to the malar region with titanium screws. These implants are great and can give you a permanent correction for your mid face. They are made with various thicknesses and are anatomically designed to appear natural once placed. Your surgeon can select the appropriate size and thickness by using the manufacture's sterile trial sizers intra-operatively and then selecting the actual implant for insertion. There are other silastic implants that may work just as well, depending on your goals and physical examination during an in person consultation. 

  Hi, I have performed many facial shaping procedures, using dermal fillers or facial implants (cheek, chin) for over 30 years.  Based upon the beauty principles outlined in my book on face and body beauty men look chiseled and handsome with angularity in the cheeks, chin and mandibular angles.   From the photos, your cheeks are flat anteriorly (in the front), the chin is weak as are the mandibular angles and there is excess facial skin evidenced by nasolabial folds and jowls.  These combine to create an elongated, thin, rectangular shaped face.  A weak chin creates an imbalance making the nose appear larger, the mid face top heavy and the lower face look short that de-emphasizes the lips and allows early formation of a double chin. Chin augmentation using a chin implant will add projection to the chin creating harmony and balance to the lower face. I have found that placement of a silastic chin implant, through a small curved incision under the chin (also allows excess skin removal) to be very safe, quick and highly effective. The following procedures would create a more ruggedly handsome face.Cheek augmentation with cheek implants to add angularity to the cheeks and mid face. Chin augmentation, using a chin implant, to add projection to the chin creating harmony and balance to the lower face.  I perform this procedure under local anesthesia in 30 minutes or less.Augmentation of the mandibular angles using a dermal filler (jaw implants have too many unwanted side effects IMHO) to add volume, angularity and flare to the jaw line. The procedures mentioned above will add angularity to your face however, the excess skin would remain.  If you have "jowls" this is sagging facial tissues and an indication for some form of a SMAS facelift.  The underlying SMAS layer, of the face, must be dissected, lifted, trimmed and re-sutured (not merely folded or suspended with threads or sutures that will not last).  The excess skin is then removed and the facelift incisions closed.  My most popular facelift is the minimally invasive, short incision facelift that has all the benefits of more invasive facelifts (traditional, mid-face and subperiosteal facelifts) but with these added benefits:very small incisionsminimal tissue dissection = less bruising and swelling = rapid recoverycan be performed in 90 minutes or less, with or without general anesthesiano incisions within the hair = no hair lossexcess fat can be removedexcess skin removedcheeks, chin and jaw line can be augmented with dermal fillers (I prefer Restylane Lyft) or facial implantsmost patients fly back home to parts all over the world in as little as 3 days post-op I combine whatever facial shaping that's necessary with every facelift procedure. When jowls are present, these should be done in concert and not alone or separately in order to create a naturally, more attractive face.Hope this helps.

Hi,Cheek implants will only fille the upper portion of your cheeks. The area of the nasal labial fold will not be filled. Silicone injections can also be used, however this requires several treatments but will be permanent.Best,Dr.S.