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Home > Face Surgery > Facial Implants & Augmentation
Facial Implants & Augmentation
Implants made out of various plastic materials can be used to improve the contours of the facial skeleton or to fill in concave surfaces (valleys in the soft tissues).
Chin implant - Mentoplasty
Bony facial skeleton may be changed to achieve more balanced, harmonious and aesthetic proportions. Chin may be enlarged to achieve a pleasing balance between the middle and the lower thirds of the face, often resulting into a dramatic improvement of the entire facial appearance. Chin augmentation is sometimes indicated to balance out a prominent nose. It is performed through a small incision underneath the chin, often in an existing skin crease. The chin implant is then placed under the soft tissue and immediately on top of the jawbone. Chin Implants of different sizes and shapes are available made from a variety of safe, inert plastic materials. A very natural facial appearance is achieved, and within a short time the implant feels as a natural part of the bony facial skeleton. The bandage dressing is removed in two days and most of the swelling is resolved in about one to two weeks. Return to work is often possible in just two to four days.
Cheek Implants - Malarplasty
High cheek bones, which give the face a more chiseled, triangular appearance, result from insertion of cheek implants. In another application cheek implants may be employed to eliminate a hollow, gaunt appearance that some people develop with the aging process. Cheek implants can be inserted in conjunction with a facelift procedure. The implant is positioned into a pocket created through an incision inside the mouth hidden under the upper lip. Any visible scar is thus avoided. At the Bel-Red Center for Aesthetic Surgery, Dr. Zemplenyi usually performs this procedure under local anesthesia with conscious sedation with the patient having no pain and no recollection of the procedure. Most of the swelling disappears in several days, and normal activity may be resumed in less than one week. A very natural appearance and feel can be achieved.
Melolabial (Cheek-lip groove) augmentation
The vexing, deep folds, which develop with the aging process between the nose and lip, are not fully erased with a facelift. However, they can be improved with implants made such as the tubular or multi-stranded Gortex implant. Gortex is a soft, pliable, inert, non-absorbable material that does not migrate and does not cause any allergic reactions. It may be inserted without leaving a visible scar and the correction is permanent. Other absorbable, injectable materials such as Restylane, Perlane, Juvederm, Radiesse, Sculptra, Artefill, fat and others provide a simple alternative for correction of these folds. Yet another surgical option is the minimally invasive suture-assisted cheek lift (also called FeatherliftTM by some practitioners).
Lip Augmentation
A fuller and more youthful appearance of the lips is now easily attainable! Lip augmentation became a very gratifying and popular procedure with the advent of longer lasting, injectable, clear gels derived from hyaluronic acid such as Restylane and Perlane. These materials graduallly absorb in four to seven months making a periodic re-injection necessary. Lips can also be augmented with more long-lasting materials such as Sculptra or fat. In general, Dr. Zemplenyi now favors these injectable materials for lip augmentation over the insertion of permanent implants, especially in the initial phases of treatment. Modern permanent implants made out of expanded Gortex, such as the Adventa Atrium implants, are potentially useful in patients who like the effect of the injectable materials but wish to avoid the periodic injections. For those patients who accept the potential risks of permanent lip implants, they provide an excellent opportunity for contour improvement of the lips. Implants made out of Gortex or other plastic materials are successfully used to improve the contours of the facial skeleton or to fill in concave surfaces (valleys in of the soft tissues).
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