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What Is Cheekbone Augmentation?

Cheekbones can contribute to a younger, more balanced facial appearance. Facial attractiveness is prone to the effects of aging, gravity and sun exposure. Over time, elegant contours can give way to flatness and volume loss in the midface. Although these effects might seem unavoidable, there are solutions to regain youthful cheekbone volume.

One method of cheek augmentation is to undergo cheek-implant surgery. Cheek implants are placed over the cheekbones and can add shape and definition for natural-looking results. These facial implants are available in a variety of different sizes and shapes in order to match each patient’s individual facial structure. Cheekbone surgery can produce long-lasting results.*

Fat transfer, also known as fat transplantation, is another cheekbone-augmentation technique that can produce long-lasting and natural-looking results. Fat transfer to the cheekbones involves collecting your body’s natural fat via liposuction from an area with excess fat cells. This fat is then injected in order to revolumize the cheekbones with natural fat. About 70% of the fat survives a fat transplantation on average, leaving an abundance of healthy fat cells to help create more prominent cheekbone angularity.

For patients who prefer a completely non-invasive method of cheekbone augmentation, Dr. Weintraub offers dermal-filler treatment in the privacy of his NYC and East Hampton offices. Injectable options, such as Restylane, Juvederm, Bellafill, Radiesse, Sculptra, and Voluma, can plump flat cheekbones and enhance contouring for a rejuvenated appearance. Cosmetic injectables are a quick facial-rejuvenation solution that can last one to two years and beyond.*

Considering Cheekbone Augmentation

There is no specific chronological age that determines when you should have a rejuvenative procedure. When you look in the mirror and see something that truly bothers you – that’s when you should pick up the phone or send us an email to arrange for a consultation.  Remember, though, there is only one person to have plastic surgery for: you and you alone. It should never be undertaken due to pressure from others.

Goals of Cheekbone Augmentation

Cheekbone augmentation should produce elegant contours and increase angularity and fullness to the cheekbone (malar) area. Opting for cheekbone implants or fat transfer can add long-lasting volume and shape to the face, while dermal fillers provide a quick, non-invasive approach to enhancing the cheekbones.

Of the utmost importance in administering fillers is retaining the harmony and natural proportions of the face. Overzealous use and subsequent overfilling of natural anatomic structures can produce unsightly results and the unwanted “fake” look. It is therefore advisable to have these procedures done by a board-certified plastic surgeon such as Dr. Barry Weintraub due to his thorough training and extensive knowledge of the deep anatomy of the body and its natural proportions.

Used in conjunction with Botox and fillers such as Restylane, Juvederm, Voluma, Bellafill, Radiesse, and Sculptra, Dr. Weintraub also performs “Liquid Facelifts” at his New York and East Hampton offices; these non-surgical facelifts not only erase angry expressions from your face, but also help to revolumize the face and can, in fact, stave off the need for a traditional facelift until much later in life.

Your Consultation

You’ve certainly looked in the mirror many times. However, when you look in the mirror and begin to see things that upset you, that’s when you should schedule a consultation. A consultation will help give you a better understanding of your own issues.

When looking for the best plastic surgeon, you should:

  • Check for board certification by the American Board of Plastic Surgery (there are many other boards, some legitimate, some not, but there is only one American Board of Plastic Surgery, established in 1931).
  • Ensure that the physician attends a major hospital in your community, and is in good standing with that hospital.
  • Confirm that he or she has a fine reputation amongst other medical professionals in your community.
  • Speak to the surgeon’s patients who have undergone similar procedures.

Remember, this is your treatment, and you are interviewing the doctor as much as he’s interviewing you. Do not hesitate to bring a list of questions with you on your consultation. And remember: a good surgeon is someone who not only has the skill to perform the treatment, but is someone who understands what your specific needs and desires are. A good surgeon should listen, listen, and listen!

Have no fear during your consultation. This is a time to speak, to be heard, and to develop a trusting relationship. Questions can be answered, and fears allayed. And while Dr. Weintraub is at the forefront of his field in terms of his techniques and medical developments, you will find his office environment to be warm, personable, and inviting. He and his staff truly care about each and every patient, and take great pride in making themselves available to help with every step of the process.

How Cheekbone Augmentation is Performed

Safety comes first. Plastic surgery is surgery, and should therefore be taken seriously.

Dr. Weintraub prefers his patients to be in a comfortable state of twilight sleep, where the patient is unarousable and is awakened only after the procedure is over. Due to advancements in anesthesia and new medications possessing a shorter half-life, no longer do patients have to contend with nausea, vomiting or grogginess; rather, the emergence from anesthesia is crisp and clear.

Dr. Weintraub insists on the most sterile conditions in the operating room, with board-certified anesthesiologists and state-of-the-art monitoring equipment commensurate with the highest hospital standards. The only person performing the surgery is Dr. Weintraub himself. Every intraoperative maneuver is executed with precision and care, and all wounds are sewn in multiple layers by his own hand.

Cosmetic plastic surgery should never be rushed, and Dr. Weintraub always strives for the best, as he understands that patients will live with the result for the rest of their lives. His aesthetic is sophisticated and reflective of understated elegance. In his own words, “Cosmetic surgery is nothing less than artwork on the human form.”

Where Cheekbone Augmentation is Performed

Though once limited to a hospital setting, the more modern approach to cosmetic plastic surgery is to perform such procedures in a safe, secure and completely private operating room. Although Dr. Weintraub has privileges at Lenox Hill Hospital, Manhattan Eye Ear and Throat Hospital, and The Center for Specialty Care (outpatient limb of Weill-Cornell Hospital), he prefers the privacy of his hospital-grade, state-of-the-art surgical center attached to his office at 800A Fifth Avenue. This facility is attended by Dr. Weintraub’s team of board-certified anesthesiologists, certified registered nurses, and fully licensed operating-room staff. With its private entrance, its standards are of the highest quality, and offer Dr. Weintraub’s patients the utmost in medical and plastic-surgical care.

Additionally, Dr. Weintraub performs his non-invasive treatments in the comfort of his offices, both in Manhattan at his primary location at 800A 5th Avenue on the Upper East Side, and in his East Hampton office where he sees patients on Fridays in private consultation during the summer months.

The Best Candidates for Cheekbone Augmentation

The best candidates for cheekbone augmentation are well balanced, in good general health, and possess realistic expectations. You are an excellent candidate if you’ve done your homework, have had your consultation, and the following three things are present:

  • You are highly motivated to make the change.
  • You have the ability to pause your daily responsibilities (work, family, school etc.) in order to undergo the procedure.
  • You have the financial wherewithal to make an elective cosmetic surgery come to fruition.

Preparing for Cheekbone Augmentation

Once you have decided to make this exciting new change, you will need to provide medical clearance from your family physician. You will be given instructions as to how to prepare for the specific surgery you have chosen, and will be given prescriptions to be filled in advance. Garments (when appropriate) will be ordered for you by Dr. Weintraub’s office. For those patients who live beyond a 50-mile radius of New York City, Dr. Weintraub advises a two-night post-operative stay at The Pierre, The St. Regis, The Surrey, The Mark or The Carlyle Hotel, where his patients are given a special reduced rate, and where he will visit you after your procedure. A private nurse can also be provided.

If you are opting for a non-invasive treatment, there is no need to prepare anything in advance when planning for your dermal fillers procedure. However, it is best to not take aspirin or aspirin-containing compounds for a week prior to injection.

The Cost

Each patient is individual in his/her own makeup and anatomical configuration. Therefore, in order to give an accurate quote for cheekbone augmentation, it is best to schedule a consultation that will allow Dr. Weintraub to appropriately judge what is involved. For those patients who live overseas or outside New York City or the Hamptons, photographs can be emailed or sent to the office, and a phone consultation can then take place.

After Treatment

There will always be a short period of minimal swelling and sometimes bruising after surgery. You must carefully follow all instructions provided by Dr. Weintraub in order to achieve the best results possible. He is a firm believer in early showering, because, in his own words, “Clean wounds make for narrower incisions.” He will advise you as to when you can return to your normal lifestyle and exercise routine.

For patients undergoing treatment with injectables, cold packs will be applied to the face or site of injection for a short period while in the treatment room. By the time you leave the office, you can return to your work or personal responsibilities with little or no down time.

What Sets Dr. Weintraub Apart

Dr. Weintraub has always been blessed with a strong aesthetic sense. He possesses a unique blend of medical science and artwork, as it truly is artwork that he performs on the human form. His attention to detail ensures that he gets the best results possible, and he is meticulous about everything he does, from pre-op to post-op care and beyond.*

He studied medicine at Cornell during a time when core values were emphasized, and it is on these values that he bases his practice. He believes that physicians should be humble and respectful, and should never lose sight that the person they are operating on is exactly that: a person possessing real-life issues and concerns. The chairmen of the department of general surgery at Cornell at the time, Dr. Tom Shires, along with another luminary, Dr. Leon Morgenstern of Cedars-Sinai, taught Dr. Weintraub that “The operating room is a sacred place. It’s a very serious place. Never be cavalier about surgery.”

During his surgical residency training, Dr. Weintraub regularly visited Mexico to donate his time operating on deformed children and adults who couldn’t afford proper healthcare. In less-than-optimal conditions, he learned how to perform surgery with the basics, and received great satisfaction in making profound differences in people’s lives by restoring their faces and bodies. Similarly, when he was Chief Resident at the New York Hospital – Cornell Medical Center, and later when he was Chief Resident at the Reconstructive Unit at Memorial Sloan-Kettering, he found that his compassion for patients, along with his skill and precision as a surgeon, could change lives and bring people joy they never thought possible

Dr. Weintraub believes that surgery is never a race. The patient is always number one. He keeps in his wallet a piece of paper that is his motto in the operating room: “Always demand what is right, and never accept second best.” He likes to consider himself a “thinking surgeon,” and does not enter the operating room with a mechanical series of steps to execute robotically, but likes to remain alert and ready for whatever intraoperative challenges might spontaneously arise. Although many notable surgeons openly listen to music while performing surgery, Dr. Weintraub does not, preferring the mood of the operating room to remain serious and focused.

Over 60% of Dr. Weintraub’s practice is comprised of complex redos of surgeries performed by other offices. Such procedures always involve difficult issues, since there exist not only the limitations of a patient’s own anatomy, but also the limitations of another surgeon’s aesthetic, and the scar tissue that has developed as a result. Patients seek Dr. Weintraub from all over the world to correct their aesthetic problems. He takes great pride in getting the best results, and always enjoys the challenges of such procedures.

Last, Dr. Weintraub will not hesitate to turn patients away if he feels they are not good candidates for surgery. If a surgery is not in someone’s best interest, he will be the first to say so. However, when a patient is a good candidate, the results produced by Dr. Weintraub can be magical, and he feels that it is an honor to give patients a gift they can enjoy for the rest of their lives.

How To Get Started

Dr. Weintraub and his staff will be happy to discuss cheekbone augmentation with you. Please call our office for a private consultation. We hope you look forward to our warm welcome and the opportunity for us to help you make an educated and confident decision.

Contact our office today to set up your consultation for cheekbone augmentation.