I had double jaw surgery 4 years ago and I now have big chipmunk cheeks. Opinion on cheek liposuction?

Question

I had double jaw surgery 4 years ago and I now have big chipmunk cheeks. I had thought that this could be resolved with Buccal fat removal but after a consultation with a plastic surgeon, he has advised that liposuction alone will not fix the problem as it will leave me with loose skin and have recommended a lower face lift in conjunction with liposuction. Can someone please give me an opinion.

Zoran Potparic, MD · Answer

Without a series of photos and detailed clinical evaluation it would not be possible to give your good advice. For such a complex problem you should seek a second and third opinion consultations by a board certified plastic surgeons in your area before making any decisions. Good luck.

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

Hi, non smiling photos of your face from the front and side would help in the evaluation.  I have performed facelifts for over 30 years and have performed many minimally, invasive type facelifts.  Following the beauty principles outlined in my book on face and body beauty, women look the most feminine, youthful and attractive with heart shaped faces.  Heart shaped faces have cheeks that are full and round in the front.  Cheek augmentation with a dermal filler or using cheek implants for a permanent enhancement will create full, round cheeks that will feminize the entire face. If the chin is weak, this 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.  If you have "jowls” these are 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, deep plane, cheek lift and subperiosteal facelifts) but with these added benefits:very small incisionsminimal tissue dissection = less bruising and swelling = rapid recovery ( several days instead of weeks or months with the more invasive type facelifts mentioned)can 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-opI combine facial shaping 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.

I had double jaw surgery 4 years ago and I now have big chipmunk cheeks. Opinion on cheek liposuction?

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I had double jaw surgery 4 years ago and I now have big chipmunk cheeks. Opinion on cheek liposuction?

Answers (2)

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Everything you need to know about Cheek Augmentation

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