Cheek augmentation is an operation wherein the cheeks are reformed, either for cosmetic reasons, or to repair bone and tissue damage caused by an accident. As a cosmetic procedure--which cheek augmentation is most often associated with--the goal is usually to make the cheekbones appear higher and more youthful. According to CheekAugmentation.com, cheek augmentation has existed as a medically performed procedure since the mid 1950s. Today, the most common options for cheek augmentation include injections, implants and grafts.
Injections
Collagen injections are one of--if not the--most popular forms of cheek augmentation. While most commonly known for being injected into lips, the gelatin-like material can also be used on cheeks to add shape and reduce wrinkles. A doctor injects the collagen--which is synthesized from bovine tissue--into the area of the cheek to be modified, and then massages it into position as the substance solidifies (which takes between three and seven seconds). According to the above source, one in about every 100 people are allergic to collagen injections, so allergy tests are required prior to the operation.
Implants
According to CheekAugmentation.com, inserting facial implants made of silicon was the first type of cheek augmentation to be medically conducted. Today, silicon implants--which come in varying degrees of rigidity, called durometers--are still used to highlight particular cheek features, and oftentimes doctors secure them in place using screws made from titanium.
Other implant options for cheek augmentation include those made from expanded polytetrafluoroethylene and polyethylene. Both of these implants are more porous than silicon and rely on tissue integration, as opposed to screws, to stay bonded to cheeks.
Grafts
Grafts are perhaps the most invasive type of cheek augmentation, and are typically associated with long recovery times, and an increased chance of infections and other complications. According to CheekAugmentation.com, the most common types of grafts for cheek augmentation include bone grafts, fat grafts and nonfat tissue grafts.
With all of these varieties of grafts, patients have the option of choosing between an autologous or cadaveric procedure. In an autologous procedure, all of the bone, fat and other tissue used in the graft comes from a donor site on your own body; while in a cadaveric procedure, all of this biological material comes from a cadaver (a deceased donor). According to the above source, autologous procedures are less likely to result in your body rejecting the graft, however with both strategies there is typically a high success rate in terms of the graft being accepted.
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