Facial Contouring (Facial Implants)

Cosmetic surgeons use facial implants to improve and enhance facial contours. Frequently, these implants will help provide a more harmonious balance to your face and features so that you feel better about the way you look. There are many implants available to help strengthen a jaw line or bring the chin or cheekbones into balance with the rest of the face.

Facial implants can enhance your appearance and bolster your self-esteem. If you are looking for improvement, not perfection, in your appearance and are realistic in your expectations, you may find that a facial implant is the right choice for you. Cosmetic surgeons will frequently use such implants to bring better balance to the features of a younger patient. For instance, a teenage girl may want her nose reshaped or her chin brought forward so that these traits are better proportioned. The more mature patient may choose to have an implant placed in conjunction with another cosmetic procedure. For example, during a facelift, a patient may wish to have implants placed over the cheekbones to help restore a more youthful appearance. Implants may also be selected to fill out a face that appears "sunken" or tired. You may be surprised to find that most people will not recognize that you have had facial implant surgery, only that you look better.

The face implants are typically placed through incisions in the mouth, thus eliminating visible scarring. The procedure can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours to complete. The 7 to 14 day recovery period for facial implants can be an uncomfortable process because smiling and talking are limited.