Fortunately or unfortunately, time passes for everyone. Every wrinkle, facial crease or imperfection is just another sign of what we’ve lived through, which is why obsessing over aesthetic canons and the effects of the passage of time is usually never a good idea.
Even so, the biological clock can be slowed down to some extent, and cosmetic surgeries are real proof of this. In the United States, 18.7% of all cosmetic surgeries are performed, which translates into more than 1.8 million patients annually undergoing surgery to address various cosmetic imperfections.
It is clear that facial and body retouching are on the rise, as it is estimated that every year, globally, the number of people who undergo them increases by at least 5%. globally, the number of people who undergo them increases by at least 5% each year.. Augmentation mammoplasty, blepharoplasty (eyelid retouching), rhinoplasty, abdominal implants … aesthetic interventions know no gender, age or ethnicity.
Today we come to introduce you to a procedure a little less common and not so well known by the general population: cheek surgery. Dive with us into this world of scalpels and implants because, either out of curiosity or because you are planning to undergo this process, we assure you that you will be enriched after reading these lines.
What is cheek surgery?
Cheek surgery, also known as malarplasty, is a surgical procedure whose objective is the reduction of the malar bone. (the one that gives shape and prominence to the cheekbone) or, failing that, the application of a filler that gives some volume and projection to a “flat” facial structure. In short, this cosmetic surgery seeks to shape beautiful cheekbones that fit the maxillofacial contour of each patient according to their needs and characteristics.
In places like Asia, malarplasty is in the “Top 10” aesthetic operations, although it is necessary to make a clear distinction between augmentation and reduction procedures, as both the prices and the steps to follow are completely different. Below, we present each of them in detail. In this sense, cheek surgery can be augmentation or reduction.
- You may be interested in: “Lip surgery (cheiloplasty): what it is, price, procedure and results”.
1. Cheek augmentation
First of all, it is essential to note that cheek augmentation can be performed both surgically and non-surgically. The latter is much less invasive, as it simply involves a facial injection of the patient’s own fat. it is a facial injection of the patient’s own fat or a dermal filler, although implants are or a dermal filler, although implants are the option to follow when a more evident or long-term result is sought. Since we are talking about surgeries, we will focus on the variant that requires the patient to undergo surgery.
Procedure
This procedure is not performed in just one day, since the specialist must thoroughly examine the patient’s face and perform a three-dimensional computerized tomography based on it, in which the changes that will be carried out in real life are made. The basis of all these initial precautions is to predict what the final result of the process will be, since reversing it can be very complex and costly.
Once the size and shape of the implant has been chosen, the next step is the selection of the material, which is usually silicone or porous polyethylene. The former usually have a smooth surface, while polyethylene is more textured. The choice will be made based on the patient’s tastes and the recommendations of the medical professional.
Often a pre-measuring implant is used, which will allow the surgeon to decide on a definitive option once the operation itself is performed. It should be noted that implants are performed through the mouth, after local or general sedation of the patient. By making the incision and insertion through the endobuccal route (where the upper teeth meet the inner cheek), a pocket is created between the cheekbone and the facial muscles, which allows the implant to be easily placed..
This entire procedure takes about 30 minutes to an hour and a half and is performed in a few minutes. results are immediate. In general, cheek augmentation surgery is recommended in the following cases:
- For patients seeking to alleviate the passage of time and combat facial aging.
- To balance facial features.
- To give “more life” to the look of those patients with sunken eyes.
- To soften the nasolabial fold, that is, the line that descends from the wing of the nose to both sides of the mouth.
Price and considerations
As far as postoperative care is concerned, it is usually necessary to prescribe antibiotics to the patient, especially if the procedure has been performed by the previously described endobuccal route. This is done in order to prevent infections from occurring in the incision area. It is also common for the individual to have bruising and edema during the first few days and, unfortunately, complete healing may be delayed for 2-3 months.
In general, cheek augmentation without surgery is usually much cheaper, with a price of about 300-475 euros, since injections of Botox or other materials are performed quickly and easily. It should be noted that, unfortunately, these procedures are temporary, unlike the surgery already described. Although we have not been able to find a definitive price for surgical augmentation malarplasty, it is clear that this will increase considerably. In general, most facial cosmetic touch-ups that require surgery are at least in the range of are at least 2,000 euros..
Cheekbone reduction
On the other side of the coin we have the reduction malarplasty, that is, one that seeks to outline the coarse facial features resulting from overly pronounced cheekbones.. Here are the particularities that define it.
Procedure
Cheekbone reduction requires general anesthesia. In the operating room, the first thing that is done is an intraoral incision to expose the excess of the maxillary bone. After this, the excess bone is removed and the face is the excess bone is removed and the face is refined, followed by repositioning of the deep muscles and closure of the cut..
It should be noted that this procedure must be followed by a cheek lift and correction of skeletonized areas, as the decrease in the amount of bone will be accompanied by a necessary repositioning of certain structures. This operation is relatively extensive and a little more complex than the previous one, which is why the patient must remain in the hospital for 24-48 hours after the intervention.
Price and considerations
As with cheek augmentation, it is common for the patient to experience swelling, bruising, tightness and tingling in the affected area during the first few days. Since this is also an endobuccal procedure, special hygiene measures are required in the mouth during the first few days.
Unfortunately, we cannot give a fixed price for this procedure either, as it depends a lot on the post-incision touch-ups, the surgeon and the facility where it is to be performed. Even so, we assure you that this will easily exceed 1,000 euros 1,000 and that it will probably be much more expensive. Moreover, in this case we cannot offer you a non-surgical solution, as it is the case in cheek augmentation.
Summary
As we have seen, augmentation malarplasty can be performed in a simple way without undergoing surgery by injections of fat, Botox or other compounds, although its effects are temporary and are not as successful as those resulting from the passage through the operating room. Cheek augmentation by means of prostheses brings much clearer and permanent benefits, but it is a much more aggressive procedure.
Cheekbone reduction, on the other hand, involves an operation in which the bone structures are filed and reduced and then relocation of various structures is required. This is an invasive process and, therefore, the patient should be prepared to spend a couple of days being monitored for a few days. spend a couple of days being monitored in the hospital..
Here we have presented the possible options, but ultimately the decision is yours. If you have the money and the will, let nothing stop you: you are the owner of your aesthetics, with all the changes that this may entail.