How Many Mm Can the Cheekbones Be Reduced with the Burring Method?

all I can tell you without photographs let alone an exam is that it could be noticeably reduced. I tend to prefer a transoral approach with a drillbit that faces sideways and oscillates like an ultrasonic toothbrush. This way it's not spinning and it doesn't catch or damage tissue surrounding it. I've reduced prominence by up to 7 mm in some patients. But it really depends on the thickness of your bone and location of certain critical structures where nerves and blood vessels exit the bone of the orbital rim, malar bone, and mid face.

 

Chase Lay, MD

double board certified facial plastic surgeon

When considering cheek reduction, one has to be specific as to whether they mean the main zygomatic body or the zygomatic arch area. The zygomatic body area can be reduced by burring, usually up to 4mms, and its effect is only at the cheek area by the eye. The zygomatic arch area, which has the greatest effect on facial width above the jawline, can only be reduced by osteotomies (cutting the front and back ends of the arch). This area can not be burred as the arch is a thin twig of bone between the cheek and the temples that is but a few millimeters thick.

Cheek bone reduction can be done by infracture after several cuts made with a saw. Burr will achieve several mm reduction, which usually would not make much of a difference, at least in our patient population.

 The bulk of the cheek bone can be significantly reduced using a nasal rasp or a drill and burr.  This is performed through the same intra-oral incision used for cheek implant placement.