PRE-OPERATIVE:
- Provide us with your medical history and lab exams
- Discontinue using Aspirin, Ibuprofen, Naprosyn, and Vitamin E for one week before and a few days after your procedure as these act as blood thinners
- It is advisable not to smoke for at least two weeks prior and one after the surgery as nicotine can impair circulation and healing
- Avoid sun exposure as not to irritate the skin
SURGERY:
It can be performed under local anaesthesia with sedation in an outpatient surgical centre and will last around 30 to 60 minutes. Cheek augmentation is done by placing the implant over the cheekbone through an incision made inside the mouth or through an opening below the lower eyelash. The incision is almost unnoticeable. For insertion of a chin implant, the incisions are made inside the mouth at the base of the lower lip. These incisions are closed with dissolving stitches.
POST SURGERY:
You may expect numbness or stiffness for a few days. It is advisable to keep the head elevated and apply cold compresses or small ice packs to reduce swelling and relieve discomfort.
SUMARY:
- Surgery length: 30 to 60 minutes
- Anaesthesia: local with sedation
- Clinic or hospital internment: day clinic
- Post surgery: stitches dissolve in a week or two
- Physical activities: resume after 1 week
CHEEK AND CHIN IMPLANTS
DESCRIPTION:
Chin augmentation involves the placement of a tapered prosthetic implant to help give the chin more definition. This is done for the under projected chin often in conjunction with Rhinoplasty to improve the profile view. Chin implants may also re-establish the jaw line. Cheek implants can have a major impact on the appearance and self-confidence of patients whose cheeks have thinned or sunken due to age, illness or other causes. Likewise, the chin helps provide harmony to the facial features. Often, patients desire a smaller nose when, in fact, a chin augmentation provides an ideal balance on facial proportions. Implant sizes and shapes to augment the cheek and chin are tailored to each patient's desired appearance. In addition, we use implants to augment the lip vermillion border or to enhance the lip margin and to eliminate the small wrinkles just above the upper lip or below the lower lip. Implants can also be used to fill the nasal-labial folds and a deep depression between the nose and the upper lip to correct the "flat lip" look or the "long nose" look.
