Dear Dr. Seckel, Can you explain more about the cheek lift. What facial features does the cheek lift improve? How is the cheek lift performed? I could not find pictures on your Boston Website. Thank you, Charlie, New York, New York
Dear Charlie, Thank you for your email about the cheek lift. The cheek lift is also called a mid face lift and is used to tighten and pull up the sagging cheek.
The cheek or midface is usually the first area of the face to sag with aging. The cheek fat pad is normally high on the cheek bone creating the “chubby cheeks’ which people like to touch on the face of a young child.
The full cheek creates a very youthful appearance to the face and when the cheek fat pad moves downward with facial sagging, usually in the 30’s and 40’s it creates a tired aged appearance to the face.
As the cheek sags downward, the skin forms the nasal labial folds around the mouth, also creating a tired appearance. Some people choose to have fillers like Restylane or Radiesse injected into the folds. This is a camouflage technique and is temporary and does not fix the problem that requires a cheek lift or midface lift.
The cheek lifts or mid face lift is about 1/3 of a face lift. An incision is made usually just above the ear into the hairline so the cheek lift incision is usually not visible. The skin of the cheek is elevated and the cheek fat pad is pulled back up and replaced back onto the cheek bone.
The cheek lifts or mid face lift is a simpler and less invasive procedure than the face lift and usually creates a very nice result. Check the link on face lift on drseckel.com to see how a lifted cheek creates a very youthful appearance to the face.
Thank you for your question. For more information please call 978-369-4499