Question: Over the years that fold that runs from the edge of my nose down to my mouth on both sides looks like it is sagging. I wonder if I can get this repaired without surgery. Is there something that could be injected into my cheeks to fill it out? Is anything like that permanent?
Answer: Yes you can definitely get something injected into the cheeks to fill them out and these would simply be filler injections. The most popular filler injection is a hyaluronic acid filler such as Restylane or Juvederm injection but you could also use Radiesse which is calcium based or even Sculptra. If desired you could also consider fat grafting since we can use a rather significant amount of volume from fat grafting and a portion of this can be considered a permanent filler. There have been permanent fillers on the market and most likely there will continue to be these options and for cheek augmentation I certainly can consider using these products to add volume to the cheeks. Another option would be cheek implants if your anatomy would benefit from such a procedure. Ultimately as you can see there are many options for your problem and that is why I feel a consultation with an experienced board certified facial plastic surgeon would allow you to select the best option for you.
Question: I am looking for a way to add more definition to my cheeks. Are implants a good choice for this, or are there any other options?
Answer: Implants are a great way to add definition to your cheeks and are a permanent way to provide more volume to this area. Other options would include injectable fillers, such as Restylane and Juvederm or even Radiesse for a significant, yet temporary answer to this problem. Some patients will decide to do injectable treatments to see if they like the result and if they do, they will then opt for a more permanent surgical cheek implant augmentation.
