Cosmetic Procedures: Cheek, Jaw and Chin Implants

Facial implants are used to enhance certain features of your face, including your cheeks or your jaw line. The surgery may be elective, or needed as the result of prior surgery on the face. Through a facial implant, a plastic surgeon can aesthetically improve facial contours.

Am I A Candidate For a Face Implant?

You are a candidate for this procedure if you are in good physical and mental health. You should not expect perfection. Facial implants will not make you look like someone else. However, they will enhance your current features.

How Do I Know If a Face Implant is Right For Me?

When you sit down with your surgeon for your pre-operative consultation, he or she will ask detailed questions about your medical history. Among the things the surgeon will need to know is if you have had either cosmetic or reconstructive facial surgery before.

Additionally, he or she will want to know what you seek to change about your appearance and why you are unhappy with your features. Are there other surgeries you want or need to have done, such as a facelift, forehead lift, or other cosmetic procedure?

If you have dental problems, you will need to let your surgeon know about these.

How Are Facial Implants Done?

During your pre-operative consultation, you and your surgeon will decide together whether you'll have local anesthesia with an oral sedative to help you relax or general anesthesia (which means you'll be put to sleep).

In most cases, facial implant surgery is completed on an outpatient basis in a hospital, your surgeon's office or a surgical center. Your surgeon will make this determination based on your particular case.

The length of surgery will depend on which part of your face is affected, but it commonly lasts between one to two hours.

Where Are Face Implants Placed?

Lower jaw implant. The implant is placed inside of the lower lip. Incision site will be secured with sutures that will dissolve in about one week. The procedure takes one to two hours.
Cheek implant. The implant is placed internally through upper lip or externally via your lower eyelid. Sutures will vary depending on whether they're internal or external. The procedure takes about an hour.
Chin implant. The implant is placed internally to the lower lip, or under your chin. As with the cheek implant, sutures will vary depending on whether they're internal or external. The procedure takes 30 minutes to an hour