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PEEK Facial Implants – Part 3. What A Modulus Closer to Bone Really Means

In facial implant materials a key distinction is between “bone-like stiffness” being mechanically necessary and simply being a useful material characteristic. For most aesthetic facial onlay implants, the second description is more accurate. Think of a custom PEEK mandibular angle implant. Its job is primarily to create and permanently maintain a new skeletal contour. It Read More…

PEEK Facial Implants – Part 2. The Elastic Modulus of Bone and Its Relevance to Aesthetic Facfal Implant Materials

For an onlay aesthetic facial implant, having an elastic modulus closer to bone is potentially helpful, but the benefit is somewhat different—and arguably less important—than it is for a load-bearing orthopedic implant. Elastic modulus is essentially stiffness: how much a material deforms for a given stress. PEEK (~3–4 GPa) is dramatically less stiff than titanium Read More…

PEEK Facial Implants – Part 1. Mechanical Properties and Clinical Advantages

PEEK (polyether ether ketone) is a high-performance thermoplastic that has become increasingly popular for patient-specific facial implants because it combines high strength, dimensional stability, radiolucency, and a bone-like elastic modulus. Its mechanical properties are generally superior to porous polyethylene (Medpor) and more similar to cortical bone than titanium in terms of stiffness. Here’s a summary Read More…

Right Custom Temporal Implant for Skull Asymmetry Case Example

Custom temporal widening skull implants are patient-specific implants designed to increase the width of the sides of the head and create a broader cranial shape. They can be used to create overall head widening (bitemporal implants) or can be okayed on just one side for asymmetry correction. In either case they are distinct from implants Read More…

Comparing the Aesthetic Effects of Tricep vs Bicep implants

Biceps and triceps implants serve different aesthetic goals because they enhance different muscle groups. While they are often discussed together, triceps implants generally create a more dramatic increase in overall upper arm size than biceps implants because the triceps make up approximately 65–70% of the upper arm muscle mass, whereas the biceps account for only Read More…

The Benefits of a Hollow Chamber Custom Testicle Implant

A hollow chamber inside a testicular implant can provide several mechanical and design advantages, depending on the implant material and intended purpose. The benefits differ from those of traditional solid silicone or saline-filled testicle implants. 1. Softer More Natural Feel A hollow chamber implant feels softer than a completely solid implant of the same size. Read More…

Combined Webbed Neck Correction with Buffalo Hump Reduction Liposuction

A webbed neck (pterygium colli) and a buffalo hump (dorsocervical fat pad) are distinct anatomical problems that can coexist and often accentuate one another. The fullness of a buffalo hump makes the neck appear shorter and more posteriorly sloped, while a webbed neck obscures the normal cervicomastoid angle and lateral neck contour. When both conditions Read More…

Female Chin Reduction with Facelift

A female chin reduction combined with a facelift can be an effective facial balancing procedure when an overly prominent chin contributes to a masculine lower face or detracts from a youthful neck and jawline. The key is to reduce the chin in a way that preserves feminine proportions while allowing the facelift to enhance soft Read More…

The Safe Amount of Clavicle Bone Removal in Shoulder Narrowing Surgery

How much can the clavicle be shortened before it affects arm range of motion? This is one of the key unanswered questions in cosmetic clavicle shortening surgery because there are no published biomechanical or clinical studies that define a precise threshold. Most of what we know comes from studies of malunited clavicle fractures, clavicle resections, Read More…

The Biomechanical Implications on Recovery From Shoulder Narrowing Surgery

From the standpoint of clavicle shortening osteotomy for shoulder narrowing, the postoperative recovery is driven much more by muscle and shoulder girdle adaptation than by changes in the strength of the clavicle itself. The bone is actually mechanically favorable after shortening, but the shoulder has to learn to function with a new geometry. Early Read More…