My cheeks protrude too far out when I smile. What can be done to reduce the size of my cheeks? (Photo)

Facial sculpting and contouring of the face can be created with well-placed fillers (Voluma, Contour, Radiesse, Bellafill) and Sculptra, which would give improvement in facial balance. Fat or implants are alternatives. I recommend getting a formal evaluation with a facial sculpting expert. Best, Dr. Emer

Hello jjwhitejjI would advice you schedule a consultation wit a board certified plastic surgeon for physical examination.

Thank you for your question about cheek lift.I don't see anything wrong. Photos are limited though.Cheek bone reduction is possible but requires major surgery. I would think long and hard before doing anything like that.To be sure what is right for you, see at least two or more experienced, board-certified Plastic Surgeons in your area for a complete evaluation.I hope this helps.

Your pictures show some lower fullness and not much loose skin. Options we use include buccal (cheek) fat pad removal, a minor cheek lift and maybe a nonsurgical tightening modality (Ulthera and some radiofrequncy devices). Surgical removal of the lower cheek fat  should be prudent and based on your exam - too much removed can hollow your face with suboptimal results.  I think in your case, I might prefer ulthera as a nonsurgical lift to balance the cheeks - it is a softer improvement but probaly a good consideration in someone of your age who might better stave off surgery for a few more years.

The photographs appear to show facia lasymmetry which is not uncommpn.. Bone reduction would result in a relative excess of the skin envelope which may not be well supported. .A more  thorough exam would be necessary before making  recommendation .Michael Eisemann M.D.Plastic SurgeonHouston, Texas

Thanks for writing,I agree completely with my colleague, Dr. Freund. I would leave your cheeks alone. You have to think about how you might look in 3 -5-10 years down the road, sagging, hollowing, irregularities etc. Think long term! Your photos have a slight right rotation to them, but it appears as though there is some facial asymmetry, normally found in everybody. Could this be what is bothers you? Maybe something to help with this may change how you think about your face.The other issue is; photos are 2-dimensional and a face to face evaluation is 3-dimensional, this is a big deal. I would strongly suggest you seek out a Board Certified  Plastic Surgeon, who I know will be happy to help you understand your issues and offer you a series of options to try and achieve the result you want. I hope this helped.Stephen M. Davis, MD, FACSGreen Hills Plastic Surgery

Thank you for your question.

You really don't appear to have excessive volume in your
lower face. Even if you did have a lot of fullness in this area, we usually
don't like to remove facial fat because it can cause gauntness and sagging.
It's hard to tell from the photo whether or not there is any laxity in your
lower face that may be contributing to the look that you don't like. Rather
than reducing your cheek size, I would recommend subtle adjustments with
dermafillers to achieve definition and balance. It's possible that enhancing your
upper cheeks might provide the lift and contour you're looking for. For this, I
like Restylane®, JUVÉDERM®, and JUVÉDERM VOLUMA™ XC to achieve very
natural-looking improvement.

I think you’d be surprised by just how much of a difference
can be made through very fine, non-surgical adjustments. I invite you to visit
my website and consider a virtual consultation. Also, view my photo gallery to
see the remarkable changes fillers can make.

The idea of Goldilocks cheek fat works well here - not too much, not tool little, but just right.In todays culture, there are many people who have overfilled their cheeks to the point that they are unrecognizable - look at Madonna or Jocelyn Wildenstein.In reality, they have gone too far and have driven people mad reassessing the status of their own cheeks.What should we do;Most people have excellent and appropriate cheek volume. Leave it alone.People with too little volume can benefit from cheek implants or fat injections.People who have naturally large cheeks - leave it alone. The complications associated with reducing the volume of your cheeks can lead to a very unnatural look especially when smiling .Buccal fat removal focuses more on the area below the cheeks - the area that leads to a round face when not animating. Different issue than the one posed by this person.Finally, tear troughs and depressions between the eyelids and cheeks are improved with fat injections without altering the size of the cheek.For more information, please read my book “A More Beautiful
You – Reverse aging through skin care, plastic surgery and lifestyle
solutions”.

Dear Thq155, Most patients want to keep the fullness in the cheek areas as when you get older and age you loose volume in the face making the patient look older. A profile picture would be helpful to determine your overall facial aesthetics. There is a procedure called buccal fat removal which addresses the fat deposits that are located in the lower cheek or sides of the mouth which allows more definition in this region. This name "bucca" is a latin term for cheek or pertaining to the sides of the mouth. An examination and consultation would be necessary to see if you were a candidate for this procedure and if it would help address the concerns you have. Best regards, Michael V. Elam, M.D.