Facial Implants

• Chin Augmentation (Mentoplasty)
• Cheek Implants
• Fat Implants or Transfers
• Miscellaneous Implants and Gore-Tex®

Chin Augmentation (Mentoplasty)

Benefits of Chin Augmentation (Mentoplasty)
Chin augmentation helps a “weak” receding chin. By bringing a chin forward and making it better defined, an overly large nose is often minimized. Balancing the projections can also actually make a nose look better without even doing anything else. A chin augmentation often makes a major improvement in a patient’s profile, even enhancing the patient’s neckline by making it appear longer. In all cases, it surely brings harmony to the face. For male patients, in particular, a strong chin is desirable.

How a Chin Augmentation (Mentoplasty) is Done
Dr. Zweig has been using an implant made from a hard product called Silastic in his chin augmentations for many years. It has been proven to have no ill effects on the body and looks very natural. After healing, it becomes so much a part of the patient that they often forget that they have a chin implant.

Dr Zweig specifically fits each chin implant to the patient. As implants come in various shapes and sizes, Dr. Zweig often sculpts the pre-made implant to the contours he desires before inserting it through a small incision under the chin. The incision is well hidden and it heals almost invisibly. There are almost never any complications and the results are often spectacular. For even greater improvement, if there is extra fat under the chin, it can be removed at the same time with liposuction performed through the same incision.

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Anesthesia
Chin augmentation is performed in our AAAHC-accredited outpatient surgery center with a little sedation and a local anesthetic, but there are other options for anesthesia given by our board-certified physician anesthesiologist.

Recovery
With chin implants there may be some mild discomfort during the first twenty-four hours. Medications are prescribed, however most patients will only need Tylenol® (acetaminophen). A dressing is applied the day of surgery and can be removed in a few days. Small stitches are removed in four or five days. There is generally no bruising, but there is some swelling. Some patients may experience temporary numbness but can return to work in a few days. Exercise may resume in about 10 days and final results are achieved in about four to six weeks.

Other solutions for the face
Chin enhancement can include not only building up the chin, but also reducing a chin that is too prominent. Due to aging, one’s chin line may be obscured by sagging skin and muscle. A facelift cures this problem. Also excess fat along the jaw line and/or under the chin can be removed by facial liposuction. To achieve a wonderful chin and neck line, Dr Zweig may combine chin augmentation, liposuction, and a facelift.

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Cheek Implants

Cheek (Malar) Implants
High check bones can be created with an implant. These are not as predictable as chin implants as it is difficult to match each side perfectly, and they have can shift and look slightly asymmetric. They are inserted through the mouth and have a higher incidence of infection than implants placed through the skin which can be sterilized.

Submalar Implants
A submalar implant fills in the hollow area under the cheekbone, the same area that is successfully treated by a fat implant or transfer. Dr. Zweig only uses this type of implant if the patient does not have enough fat to harvest because, similar to cheek implants, the complication rate is higher since they are inserted through the mouth.

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Fat Implants or Transfers

Benefits of Fat Implants or Transfers
A fat implant or transfer restores normal facial contours in areas where fat has disappeared or been absorbed. For example, runners may look gaunt because the fat in their cheek area has been absorbed. Dr. Zweig has found that the areas most successfully treated are those that previously had fat. He has a high rate of success performing a fat transfer to fill in the hollowness in the cheek area. As the fat used is the patient’s own fat, there is no chance of an allergic reaction.

Dr. Zweig does not do fat implants or transfers in the lip area or nasolabial line (smile lines) as fat implants or transfers in these areas are not as satisfactory as other injectable fillers to most patients. But in the cheek area alone, it can have a dramatic effect by restoring the roundness associated with youth.

How a Fat Implant or Transfer is Done
Fat is harvested, usually from the abdomen or outer thigh in a technique similar to liposuction. It is then processed and a limited quantity is placed in the areas needed. Dr. Zweig creates the shape and contour desired. During the initial collection, he harvests and freezes enough for multiple treatments to be done over the course of a year as some of the fat is expected to survive and some is absorbed. The treatments are done in a procedure room with little discomfort. His technique of injecting in small quantities or layering has a much higher rate of success than a single large treatment. The cost of a fat implant or transfer includes the harvesting, processing, and multiple treatments. While it is not possible to say exactly how long a fat transfer will last, most patients can expect many years of good correction. If sagging skin and muscles are a problem as well, a face/neck lift may also be desired or recommended.

Anesthesia
Fat implants or transfers are performed in our AAAHC-accredited outpatient surgery center with a little sedation and a local anesthetic, but there are other options for anesthesia given by our board-certified physician anesthesiologist.

Recovery
The initial site of the fat implant or transfer may swell, bruise, and be sensitive to the touch, but there will be little, if any, discomfort. The harvest site may be a little sore, but Tylenol® (acetaminophen) easily manages this. Many patients do not bruise at all and return to work in a day or so. Dr. Zweig will see you again in about four to six weeks. At that time, he may re-treat the area or wait somewhat longer. A treatment only takes a few minutes, but you should expect about a half an hour in order to prepare your fat to be injected and to do the treatment and apply cold compresses, which will help prevent bruising. Most patients have no bruising.

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Miscellaneous Implants and Gore-Tex®

Benefits of Miscellaneous Implants and Gore-Tex®
Gore-Tex® and other implants are available to help improve depressions in the nose and other areas of the face.

Gore-Tex® is a very useful type of soft tissue augmentation as it is permanent, but reversible. It has been used for a variety of medical purposes, such as artificial aortas, repair of abdominal wall defects, and now for cosmetic implants. It is well tolerated and comes in several shapes which can be custom fitted to the use.

Dr. Zweig has many choices in available implants, but his number one criteria is the patient’s safety. He never uses any implant that has not had years of use, even if the FDA has approved it. He employs Gore-Tex® and many different implants in rhinoplasty surgery, often using the patient’s own cartilage. Knowing the positives and negatives of every implant type and material takes years of experience and investigation.

If an implant will be of benefit to you, Dr. Zweig will thoroughly explain the choices available, and the reasons he prefers one implant over another. Gore-Tex® implants along the lip line and to fill in smile lines, (nasolabial folds) are a type of permanent filler/implant whcih can be done either during another surgical procedure or even in a procedure room with a local anesthetic.

Gore-Tex® is also available as a non-surgical procedure.

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