Facial Contouring
Lately, I am noticing a lot of attention in the media given to facial contouring. Instagram, magazines articles, and especially YouTube all have endless tutorials showing women how to use various nude colors to enhance the cheekbones and slim your face in a believable way.
I recently had a make- up artist as a patient who brought this to my attention. She wanted a very angular look that she was achieving with makeup, however wanted something more permanent.
I explained to her that there are a few things in plastic and cosmetic surgery that surgeons do to achieve contoured facial anatomy.
1. Buccal fat lipectomy
Buccal fat pads are located in the lower part of the cheek. In some patients, they are more noticeable and create more of a round or baby face.
Removal of these fat pads can slim the cheeks and give the face a more chiseled look. This is a fairly easy process. An incision is made inside the mouth and the entire fat pad is removed. There is swelling afterwards for about 2 weeks… but it is the equivalent of having the swelling of when your wisdom teeth are extracted. Once the fat pads are removed, they cannot grow back, so this is a permanent procedure.
2. Fat Grafting or Fat Transfer
Facial fat grafting is removing fat from one part of the body such as the abdomen or love-handles, processing it, and injecting it into strategic locations in the face for a more contoured look. Done as a stand -alone procedure, there is little to no downtime, with an added benefit of a little liposuction!
Fat grafting is an excellent option for those looking to correct mid-face flatness, gaunt faces, long faces, chubby faces, and can also be placed to accentuate the cheekbones temples, chin, lips, and jaw line. Done correctly by a trained surgeon, fat grafting can be permanent.
3. Injectables
Facial injectables such as Juvederm, Radiesse, Restylane, and Voluma are quick, (For information on Vampire Facelift Techniques go here) in- office procedures that can be done within an hour and have instant results. There is no downtime other than possible minimal bruising. These types of facial injectables can be used to contour the temples, cheeks, mouth, chin and jaw line. They last about 6 months to one year, and are an ideal option for those who aren’t ready to commit to a more invasive procedure.
Those are three options in facial shaping and contouring that have minimal downtime, are effective, and when done correctly, can change the shape of the face for a more pleasing and youthful appearance.
