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Facial implants are used to improve and enhance the overall balance of your face. For example, they are used to reshape the chin or improve the look of sunken cheekbones. Available in a wide range of sizes and styles, implants add contour and proportion. Two common procedures are chin augmentation (mentoplasty) and cheek augmentation. A chin implant is used to augment a weak chin and bring it in balance with other features. A cheek implant is used to produce a stronger profile and correct flat or underdeveloped cheekbones. Because chin implants can improve the results of a facelift and rhinoplasty, it is sometimes done in conjunction with these procedures.

The Surgery

The operation may take place in an office facility, surgical center or hospital outpatient facility. Your plastic surgeon may require that you stay overnight. In some cases, facial implant surgery may involve only local anesthesia combined with a sedative. However, more frequently, a general anesthesia is recommended. Cheek implant surgery takes about 30 to 45 minutes. An incision is made either inside your upper lip or your lower eyelid and the implant is inserted. Chin surgery can take up to one hour. A small incision is made inside the mouth or in the skin just under the chin area and the implant is inserted. Jaw implant surgery usually takes about one to two hours. Incisions are made on either side of the lower lip to insert the implant.

The Recovery

You will likely see improvements right after surgery, though some swelling is to be expected. During the healing phase, your activities and diet will be restricted. Your ability to smile, talk or move your mouth in any way may be limited following surgery. Your plastic surgeon will instruct you about dental and oral hygiene during your recovery.

The Best Candidates for Facial Implants

The best candidates for facial implant surgery want to add balance or definition to their face, but understand the limitations of the procedure. They are in good physical health, psychologically stable and have no known allergies to the implant material used.

The Risks

A facial implant can shift slightly out of alignment and a second procedure may be necessary to reposition the implant. As with any surgical procedure, infection may occur. If the infection persists, the implant may have to be removed and replaced at a later time.

Background

Facial implants are designed for augmentative, reconstructive or rejuvenative purposes. Available in a wide range of sizes and styles for the chin, jaw, nose and cheek, implants add or restore contour and/or proportion to the face.

Technique

The procedure follows a similar pattern for all facial areas. The surgeon makes a small incision near where the implant will be placed, either in a crease or inside the mouth at the gum/lip junction. Then a pocket in made in the facial tissue, the implant inserted, and the incision is stitched. The process generally takes 1-2 hours, usually with general anesthesia. The incision is bandaged or taped, and stitches are removed in 5-10 days (sutures placed inside the mouth will dissolve in a similar period of time). Sometimes facial implants are inserted at the same time as a facelift, nose or eyelid procedure is performed.

Benefits

• Return to work and other normal activity within a week.
• Generally performed in the surgeon’s office or an outpatient surgical center.
• Adds aesthetically pleasing contour to the face.
• Results are essentially permanent.

Other Considerations

• As with any surgical procedure, infection may occur. If the infection persists, the implant may have to be removed and replaced at a later time.
• Shifting of the implant is another possibility. Should the implant become slightly misaligned, a second procedure might be necessary to reposition it.
• Postoperative bruising and swelling. Mild/moderate discomfort for 1 to 2 days.
• Strenuous activity and rough contact to the implant area must be avoided for 4 to 6 weeks.
• Patients with gum or dental problems will want to confer with their dentist.