Cheek implants have a long clinical history most of which have been designed for females to create an apple cheek effect. This cheek augmentation outcome is created by having a cheek implant of which part of it is positioned below the cheekbone (zygomatic major) into the submalar space. This results in a rounded prominence which is historically classic for a female and is still an aesthetic result that many females still seek today.
But some females may not want an apple cheek effect but more of a higher cheek augmentation that is based more on the bone. They may want an implant that augments the entire cheekbone back onto the zygomatic arch. There is no standard cheek implant style that can create that effect. There are some ‘standard’ cheek implant styles that I will occasionally use to create this effect that are based on the many custom cheek and infraorbital-malar implants that I have done.
The curved shape of the cheek from the infraorbital area out to the zygomatic arch, which does differ for each patient, but it is not so complex that a preoperative implant shape will not work.
Besides its unique cheek implant shape the high cheek bone implant is best placed through a lower eyelid incision. This approach not only lowers the risk of infection (by avoiding an intraoral approach) but also provides more assured symmetric placement high up on the cheekbones.
Perhaps one day the manufacturers will make a standard high cheek implant style but until then I will have to continue my own cheek implant designs to do so.
Dr. Barry Eppley
World-Renowned Plastic Surgeon