Facial Implants

A facelift moves soft tissue. A facial implant changes the skeleton underneath it. The two are not interchangeable, and confusing them is the most common reason people are disappointed by a result. When a chin recedes, a cheek sits flat, or a jaw lacks definition, the deficiency is in the bone — and you cannot tighten skin into a structure that is not there. An implant supplies the structure.

A facial implant is an alloplastic device: a pre-shaped piece of biocompatible material placed directly on the bone to add projection where the skeleton is short. The materials in routine use are FDA-cleared and have decades of documented service in facial surgery — solid silicone, which is non-porous and easily removed, and porous polyethylene, into which surrounding tissue grows for added stability. Neither is exotic. Both are tools, chosen for the site and the goal.

The three sites Colores augments most are the malar (cheek), the chin (pogonion), and the mandibular angle (jaw). Each addresses a different proportion problem. A cheek implant restores midface projection. A chin implant adds forward projection to a recessed chin. A jaw-angle implant defines the back of the mandible. They can be placed alone or in combination, and they are frequently paired with a rhinoplasty or a fat transfer to balance the whole face rather than one feature.

This page is about adding skeletal volume with an implant. It is deliberately distinct from two adjacent procedures: chin surgery (genioplasty), which reshapes the chin’s own bone rather than adding hardware, and cheekbone reduction, which does the opposite of a cheek implant by removing bone that is too prominent.

Facial implant surgery is performed under general anesthesia or deep sedation and typically takes 1–3 hours depending on how many sites are augmented. Surgery takes place in our AAAASF-accredited facility.

Solid silicone versus porous polyethylene. Both are FDA-cleared and biocompatible, but they behave differently. Solid silicone is non-porous, so tissue does not grow into it; it forms a smooth capsule around itself and can be removed or exchanged in a relatively simple second operation. Porous polyethylene has pores roughly 150 micrometers across that allow fibrovascular ingrowth, which anchors the implant firmly but makes later removal more involved. The choice is made per site and per goal, not by preference for one brand name as described in the StatPearls overview of facial implants.

Access — intraoral versus external. Chin and jaw implants are most often placed through an intraoral incision inside the lower lip or cheek, leaving no external scar; an alternative is a small incision hidden beneath the chin. Cheek implants are placed intraorally through the upper gum or through a lower-eyelid incision. Intraoral access avoids a visible scar but exposes the pocket to mouth flora, which is why a soft diet and antiseptic rinses are part of the early recovery.

Fixation. To keep the implant from shifting, it is commonly fixed to the bone with one or more small titanium screws. A precisely sized pocket and screw fixation are the two technical steps that most reduce the risk of malposition — the complication patients notice most.

Good candidates for a facial implant typically meet the following criteria:

• A skeletal deficiency, not a soft-tissue one. Implants correct a chin, cheek, or jaw that is structurally underprojected. If the issue is loose skin or descended fat, a lift or fat transfer is the better tool — an implant placed under sagging tissue does not fix the sag.
• A clear, single deficiency in mind. The most predictable results come from patients who want to address one defined proportion problem. Augmenting every feature at once rarely produces balance.
• Healthy gums and teeth if intraoral access is planned. Active dental infection near the planned pocket raises the risk of implant infection, so a dental check may precede surgery.
• Non-smoker. Nicotine impairs the wound healing and blood supply the pocket depends on, and raises infection and wound-breakdown risk over a foreign implant. Full cessation before and after surgery is required.
• No active infection and no uncontrolled medical conditions. Because an implant is a foreign material, anything that raises infection risk — uncontrolled diabetes, immunosuppression, active skin or dental infection — is reviewed carefully.
• Realistic expectations about scope. An implant changes one part of the bony framework. It does not lift the face, remove jowls, or smooth wrinkles. If your chin needs to be moved backward, lengthened, or shortened rather than simply pushed forward, a genioplasty — not an implant — is the correct procedure.
• Comfort with a foreign device. An implant is permanent hardware unless removed. Patients who prefer to use only their own tissue may be better served by fat transfer or a bony procedure.

Candidacy is assessed in full at your consultation. Your facial proportions, the specific deficiency, and your medical history determine which implant, which site, and which access — or whether an implant is the right tool at all.

Implant recovery is generally faster than a lift because there is no large skin flap, but swelling over a freshly augmented bone can be pronounced for the first two weeks, and intraoral healing adds its own restrictions.

The timeline above is a general reference. Your written post-operative instructions, provided at discharge, are the authoritative guide. Every milestone is confirmed at follow-up appointments, not assumed.

All surgery carries risk. Implant surgery has a particular profile because a foreign material is placed in the body and because the implant sits near important nerves. Understanding these risks in detail is part of informed consent.

Infection. The risk that matters most with any alloplastic implant. Because the device is foreign material, bacteria can colonize its surface, and an established implant infection usually cannot be cured without removing the implant. Intraoral placement, which exposes the pocket to mouth flora, is one reason antiseptic rinses and a soft diet are enforced early. Sterile technique, peri-operative antibiotics, and treating any dental infection beforehand are the main defenses.

Malposition and shifting. An implant that is off-center, too high, or that migrates produces visible asymmetry and is the most common reason for revision. A precisely sized pocket and screw fixation to bone are what hold it in place. Malposition is correctable but usually requires a second procedure.

Nerve irritation and numbness. Chin and jaw implants sit near the mental nerve, which supplies sensation to the lower lip and chin. Pressure or stretch can cause tingling or numbness; this is usually temporary and resolves over weeks, but persistent altered sensation is possible.

Bone resorption and capsule. Over years, the bone beneath a solid implant can remodel slightly under steady pressure, and a capsule forms around any implant. These are usually inconsequential but are part of the long-term picture and a reason for periodic follow-up.

Extrusion and the need for removal. Rarely an implant works its way toward the surface or has to be removed for infection, malposition, or patient preference. Reversibility is one practical advantage of an implant over a permanent bony procedure — solid silicone in particular is straightforward to remove or exchange.

Risks are discussed in full at your consultation. No minimizing, no alarmism.

The materials, techniques, and figures described here are consistent with the following independent medical sources. They are references, not endorsements.

• American Society of Plastic Surgeons — Facial Implants (cheek, chin and jaw augmentation overview)
• NIH / NCBI StatPearls — Facial Implants (materials, sites, and technique)
• U.S. FDA — Releasable 510(k) Database (confirm clearance of a specific implant device)
• Cleveland Clinic — Facial & Chin Implants (procedure and recovery)
• NIH / NCBI StatPearls — Facial Chin Augmentation (implant vs. osseous options)

Want to dig deeper? For independent, non-commercial medical information on cosmetic and plastic surgery, see MedlinePlus, published by the U.S. National Library of Medicine, and the patient education resources of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

At Colores you may also want to read about Lip Lift and Lip Surgery, meet our board-certified surgeons, or request an itemized written quote.