Facial implants

The face lift is a versatile procedure that can be combined with other procedures, such as brow lifts, blepharoplasty, facial liposuction, laser skin resurfacing and facial implants. Facial implants can enhance the look of a sunken face, giving it new contour and youthful angles.

Whether to create prominent cheekbones in women or clean, rugged jaw lines in men, facial implants can add balance to the face. The implants are an ideal solution if the patient's imperfection lies in his or her skeletal structure. Facial implants might also be used in conjunction with nose reshaping to enhance a person's profile.

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. Plastic 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. Facial implant surgery can be performed in a surgeon's office, a freestanding surgical center or in a hospital outpatient facility and usually the severity of the surgery will determine the type of facility that is necessary.

During most facial implant surgeries patients are given general anesthetic so that they will sleep throughout their procedures. Usually patients wake up after surgery feeling groggy and out of it so if they are released from the hospital it is essential that they have someone on hand to drive them home. Some patients will be affected by sedation more than others certain people will wake up with a dry, sore throat or feeling nauseous after surgery.

Most surgeons will recommend that patients refrain from eating or drinking the night before they are scheduled to undergo facial implant surgery. Most surgeons also usually recommend that their patients refrain from taking any prescription drugs before surgery. Sometimes surgeons will prescribe antibiotics for their patients to take before and after surgery in order to prevent infection. Antibiotics are typically prescribed when the facial implant surgery involves an incision being made inside the mouth.

Recovery is usual over about two weeks, during which time normal careful daily activities are possible. Swelling lasts longer, often about a month. The main risks are possible infections, movement of the implant, or asymmetry of the implant. Improvement from the surgery is a better balanced face, which appears natural, without any evidence of the implant being present.