Mentoplasty and malaroplasty
What are mentoplasty and malaroplasty?Mentoplasty and malaroplasty, also known as chin and cheekbone contouring surgery, are more and more in demand in cosmetic surgery.Mentoplasty allows the form and size of the chin to be modified, thus improving the features of the patient's face and appearance. More precisely, the cosmetic surgery of the chin allows the increase - through solid silicone, Goretex or Medpor implants (additive mentoplasty) - or the reduction (reductive mentoplasty) of the size of a chin that is too small, too large or too wide. On the other hand, the cosmetic surgery of the cheekbones allows the enlargement or the contouring of the malar area (cheekbones) by means of solid silicone, Goretex or Medpor implants, the injection of absorbable or permanent fillers or through lipofilling. Are there age limits to undergo this surgery?There are no age limits to undergo mentoplasty and malaroplasty surgery, but it is preferable to wait for the end of the development of the bone structure, which occurs around the age of 15-16.What surgical interventions can be performed together with chin and cheekbone contouring surgery?Mentoplasty and malaroplasty can be performed alone or, as often happens, in association with other surgical techniques such as blepharoplasty, face-lift, rhinoplasty, septorhinoplasty or other jobs.What are the risks and the complications of these operations?Chin and cheekbone contouring surgery is a relatively simple surgical procedure.When this kind of operation is performed by a specialist in plastic surgery, experienced in face contouring and in qualified facilities, the results are usually very good. It is anyhow a real surgical procedure whose complications (bleeding, infection, paraesthesia) are rare but may occur and can be easily resolved only if the intervention is performed by a specialist in plastic surgery and within duly qualified facilities. In order to reduce the risks of complications, it is essential to follow the advice and the instructions given by the surgeon carefully before and after the operation. Smokers should reduce the use of cigarettes because smoking may increase the risk of complications and slow down the recovery. What does the preoperative examination consists in?Mentoplasty and malaroplasty are very customized kinds of surgery that, as such, need a meticulous specialist examination.During the first examination, the surgeon will assess the shape and the size of your chin or cheekbones, verify if there are physical and/or functional defects with respect to mastication, and show you the possible feature modifications in the shape, the profile and the appearance of your face. Such corrections may be shown through computer processing of digital pictures of your face. The surgeon will also assess your physical condition in order to exclude the presence of troubles (such as high blood pressure, clotting or healing disorders) which might affect the final result of the operation. At the end of the examination, the surgeon, in tune with you, will choose the shape of the chin or cheekbones most suitable for your features and, if you wish a volume increase, you will be shown the type of technique (fillers, lipofilling or silicone, Medpor or Goretex implants, etc.) the surgeon intends to use. Before the operation you will receive specific information about the preoperative and postoperative diet and the use of drugs, alcohol and cigarettes. What kind of anaesthetic is given?Mentoplasty, malaroplasty and lipofilling are normally performed under local anaesthesia with sedation (which means that you will be awake but relaxed and insensitive to pain). Sometimes, these operations can be performed under general anaesthesia with one or two-day hospitalization.Instead the injections of absorbable or permanent fillers are performed under local anaesthetic. Are the incisions visible?Both in mentoplasty and malaroplasty, the incisions are completely invisible in that they are hidden inside the oral cavity.
How long is the operation?The mentoplasty, malaroplasty and lipofilling operations last about one hour, they are completely painless and end with a little dressing with gauzes and plasters and with the application of ice on the treated area for 12 hours after the intervention.Instead, the treatment with absorbable or permanent fillers lasts only a few minutes and no dressing is needed. What happens during the post-operative period?During 48 hours following chin and cheekbone cosmetic surgery, you will have to rest up, keeping your head raised.Starting from the third day, you will be able to resume your normal life, avoiding, nevertheless, tiring activities, saunas, sweat-baths and sunbathing. During the first two days, swelling and ecchymoses may appear around the eyes, the cheeks and the neck. After five days, the surgeon will remove the dressing and your face, which at first will be puffy and oedematous, will gradually take the appearance agreed upon before the operation. Some swelling may persist even for several weeks, especially around the treated area or as a result of hot drinks or exposure to the sun (which, indeed, should be avoided for a few months). After 7-10 days, you will be able to resume work, provided that it is not too tiring. Three weeks after the operation, you will gradually resume all your normal activities, including the sports activity. The result, already observable after the first two weeks, will be definitive about six months after the operation. In case of treatment with fillers, the result will be achieved more rapidly, and oedema and some slight ecchymosis may persist for the first 3-4 days. What kind of result can be achieved?Normally, chin and cheekbone contouring surgery gives very good results.The cosmetic improvement achievable through implants, lipofilling and non-absorbable fillers is permanent. If you wish to take this subject further, we advise you to visit the FAQ page about mentoplasty and malaroplasty, where you will find the answers to the most frequent questions asked by the patients. |
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Chirurgia-plastica-estetica.it Prof. Mario Dini Chairman and Director of Plastic Surgery Dept. - University of Florence |
