35 Year Old with No Cheeks and Now I LOVE my Cheeks! - Gold Coast, AU

Ok, so obviously I had cheeks prior to this procedure, but they were quite flat and shapeless, especially on the right side. I had either Juvederme or Perlane injected into both cheeks in December 2013 (0.8ml in the left and 1.2ml in the right) but once the swelling went down in a week or so, I couldn't see any difference and was quite disappointed.

I went to a different clinic this time (Australian Skin Clinics), where I had previously been for my lip fillers (which I still love and plan to get a small touch up soon) and I am SO thrilled with the results. I know I'm still swollen, but I wish this is how I could look forever!

Nurse Amy was wonderful and very thorough and detailed in our discussions of what I wanted to achieve and the realistic results possible. I would highly recommend her to anyone wanting any fillers or injectable procedures done on the Gold Coast.

After the consultation, I decided to get Restylane Sub-Q which is a larger molecular structured form of Restylane and used for deeper placement up against the bone. It also is supposed to last longer than standard Restylane, and I hope this is true.

I had my (hideously unflattering!) "before" photos taken and then my cheeks marked with white pen, before lying down, ready to start.

I did not wish to use any numbing cream as the slight pain associated with fillers has never bothered me. Nurse Amy injected each cheek with a bit of local anaesthetic before commencing injecting the fillers, which once again, were not overly painful or uncomfortable. It was more a sensation of pressure against my cheekbone area that was kind of weird, but not really unpleasant.

The injections took maybe 10 minutes (I was apparently an excellent patient for lying still and not moving around too much, YAY!) and then Nurse Amy massaged the area with Bepanthen cream and advised I use some Hirudoid ointment for any small bruising. There was some redness and a bit of swelling but nothing much. I was very happy with how the procedure had gone and we booked a follow up appointment for 2.5 weeks after, when I will return and have some Perlane injected more superficially on top, to further plump up the area once the swelling from the Sub-Q has subsided, and also to tackle the awkward area of my tear troughs (and I also want my lips added to a little also).

I did some gentle shopping for an hour or so after leaving the clinic, then went out to dinner before returning home. Feeling good! No pain, some swelling but it looked good, and the redness had completely gone, as expected.

Later that night, the area from under my eyes down to beside my nose / lower cheek area felt quite tender but it was only noticeable really when I smiled or laughed. I amused my partner by laughing WITHOUT smiling, which appears quite odd. Heheh. I was able to eat just fine, chew fine, sleep fine (if in a slightly awkward position with only my upper face on the pillow, for fear I may squash and ruin my cheeks) and didn't need any painkillers at all.

I woke up feeling fine, and less tender than I had the night before. Got up to check my face was still there and was pleased to see it looked even better. Probably more swollen, but I LOVE how it looks!!! I can smile now without any pain and I have been very careful when cleansing those areas as it is quite sore to touch unless done very lightly.

I wish I could look like this forever and I am happy to know that even if / when the swelling goes down, if I am not as thrilled with my cheeks then, I will be going back to plump them some more in 2.5 weeks. I'll come back for another update then.

I knew it! My cheeks have gone way down and now are maybe only 10% more than they were before the procedure. At their most swollen, they were maybe 80% of what i would love them to be.

I can't wait to go back in about 10 days for my top-up!

Almost two weeks ago I went and got Perlane in my cheeks. Mostly in the right cheek (which is much flatter naturally than the left one) and a little in the left. They didn't swell much, but looked excellent and still mostly do. The right one is still a bit flat though. Seriously, that cheek just seems to EAT filler!!!!!! No matter how much gets pumped in there, it all seems to disappear. I suspect it ends up in my multiple chins, HEHEH. Nah, just kidding.