Explore Plastic Surgery

The facial features most associated with masculinity is the chin and jawline. A stronger chin and jawline conveys increased masculinity, smaller chins and ill-defined jawlines convey timidity and weakness. While this perceptions may not always be true (and often aren’t), they certainly help create a first impression by their appearance. In today’s plastic surgery, newer generation implants and fillers make this look possible more than ever before.
Chin implants have really evolved over the past decade with many new styles and sizes. The most important change has been that they have been extended in their shape rather than small ‘buttons’. The idea is to have an enhanced chin that flows better into the surrounding jaw. This requires an implant that ‘extends’ back from the chin to create a smooth transition from the augmented chin to the back of the jaw. These newer implants are longer and more tapered at the ends, although they can still be placed through a small incision right under the chin. Because they extend back further they give an enhanced but natural appearance to the chin. This is achieved by filling in the jawline between the chin and the back of the jaw, slightly widening the anterior jawline making the overall look more balanced. In addition to jawline width, chin and jawline height can also be lengthened by having a ‘wrap-around’ implant that extends lower than the existing edge of the bone. Prior to these type of implants, only cutting the bone or bone grafting could have achieved this look. This increases the height of the lower third of the face, a very male-enhancing effect.
New implant options also exist for bolder cheekbones and more square jaw angles. Small cheekbones generally are not as obvious as a smaller chin but the effect on the appearance of the face is just as real. Small cheek bones create a flatter facial appearance or even a longer thin face look. Several styles of cheek implants exist to fill out different areas of the midface, from creating higher cheekbones to improving that sunken cheek look. Cheek implants are placed through an incision in the mouth so there is no scarring. A more square and well-defined jaw angle is a very masculinizing look and can only be created with implants. Jaw angle implants can eitehr widen the back of the jaw, make it more longer and more square, or both. Like cheek implants they are placed inside the mouth so scarring is never any issue.
It would not be uncommon to perform several areas of facial enhancement in the male to get the overall look that they want. Since an appreciation of facial shape and how the different areas can be changed and how they would look from implants mandates that computer-imaging be used. I find it usually takes at least two consultations to thoroughly cover all the options and make sure the patient has complete understanding of the facial look that they desire.
Dr Barry Eppley
http://www.eppleyplasticsurgery.com
http://www.ologyspa.com
Clarian North Medical Center, Carmel, Indiana
Clarian West Medical Center, Avon, Indiana
Indianapolis

Midface Rejuvenation – Implants vs Lift

One of the most overlooked areas of facial aging is that of the cheek region. Most think of facial aging in the neck, jowls, or eyes, and while these certainly exist, the midfacial cheek region often sags as well. In those patients with weak cheekbones and a flatter face, the cheek tissue can especially sag as one ages. This appears as a ‘double bag’ under the eyes with deepening of the lip-cheek grooves. Like ‘wax dripping from a candle’, the cheek soft tissues can be seen as falling off of the cheek bone.

Such midfacial aging has created two basic approaches to addressing this facial aging concern. Historically, a special type of cheek implant has been used, a submalar implant. This type of facial implant sits on the underside of the cheekbone. Because it is placed on the underside of the cheek, it does not accentuate the cheekbone, but rather helps push up fallen cheek tissues. The implant is placed through the mouth through a small incision and is either screwed or sutured to the underside of the cheekbone to hold it in place. As a result of its position, it also helps add fullness to the triangle area under the cheekbone, restoring a subtle and youthful fullness to the midface. This is a simple approach, with few complications, and is a good alternative for those patients that have a minor problem of midfacial aging and can accept a synthetic implant.

An alternative, and more recent approach, has been the midface lift. With this technique, the sagging cheek tissues are actually lifted and resuspended by sutures into a more lifted position. This is done through a lower eyelid approach (and is often done simultaneously with a lower eyelid procedure (blepharoplasty) where the sagging cheek tissues are lifted off of the bone from above. Sutures are then placed through the loosened tissues and are passed underneath the skin and sutures high onto the fascia or bone of the temples. The sutures can be adjusted to control how much lift is achieved. This method restores fullness to the midface by using the patient’s own tissues rather than implant. This is a more complex procedure, with the risk of lower eyelid malpositioning, and is a good choice for those patients with more severe midfacial aging who can accept a longer period of swelling around the eyes after surgery. In the midface lift, make sure you have a plastic surgeon experienced in the procedure due to its higher rate of complications.

Dr Barry Eppley
www.eppleyplasticsurgery.com
www.ologyspa.com
Clarian North Medical Center, Carmel, Indiana
Clarian West Medical Center, Avon, Indiana
Indianapolis