Many plastic and cosmetic surgery offices in NYC focus on offering services to augment or plump up the face. As a Board-certified plastic surgeon experienced in working with Asian patients, Dr. Edmund Kwan understands there are many men and women who desire the opposite of those conventional services that may be available at other surgical centers. Whereas some cultures value high and prominent cheekbones, others place immense value and find great beauty in smaller, more delicate features (including the cheeks). The latter type of patient generally doesn’t desire dermal fillers to add more prominence to the cheeks. Likewise, these patients may not have a need for procedures to “fill in” areas of the face; instead, they may have the opposite goal. They may desire face reduction in New York, which can come in many different forms, depending on the need and areas for improvement.
Face reduction at Edmund Kwan, MD isn’t limited to the cheek area. The lower third of your face can also overwhelm and detract from beautiful eyes or other, softer features. A prominent or angular jawline may give your face a square shape. You may desire a more oval shape, which better complements smaller features and is generally associated with a more feminine appearance. Facial shape is a fundamental part of our appearance and provides a “blank canvas” for the rest of our features. It can be disconcerting when that shape doesn’t exist in harmony with the rest of the face or doesn’t represent how you see yourself and the image you’d like to convey to others.
After consulting with you, examining areas of your face (both visually and with imaging), Dr. Kwan will determine how to get the facial shape and overall appearance that you desire. The mid-face or cheek area may be “downsized” by:
- Accessing the treatment site through intraoral incisions in the mouth
- Repositioning the bone to be treated in the “trouble area” until the desired level of correction is achieved
- Allowing the repositioned bone to settle on its own as part of the body’s natural healing process
- Alternately, burring or filing down the widest part of the face, reducing facial size and minimizing the appearance of sharp contours and angles
Conservative techniques and approaches to more invasive surgical procedures are generally better-tolerated by the patient, are comparatively lower risk, and are associated with faster, more predictable healing. In the case of cheekbone reduction, repositioning and allowing bone to heal and settle avoids the need for “conventional” plates and wires. These techniques are also highly customizable, as the amount of reduction and reshaping depends on the size of your cheekbones and your personal preferences and goals for facial transformation.
If the source of your distress is your jawline, Dr. Kwan’s skills and the results of a thorough evaluation may result in him recommending either bone or muscular reduction, or a combination of both approaches. During your evaluation, it may become apparent that the cause of a bulky lower face resides not with oversized bones but rather with overworked muscles. A portion of muscle will either be precisely removed, or Dr. Kwan may recommend Botox as an alternative to surgical reduction. The same injectable treatment used to soften crow’s feet and erase frown lines may be used to relax the masseter muscles in your jaw. When these muscles are put in a chronic state of stress, due to habits like night-time teeth-grinding, they bulk up. The effect over time is a prominent, strong jaw that may result in a change in the shape of your face that alters your overall appearance. Botox is a temporary answer to attaining or restoring your desired look, but it is no less effective. In Dr. Kwan’s skilled hands, all of our procedures are safe and don’t affect healthy function; however, nonsurgical procedures like Botox are generally attractive (for the suitable patient) as they don’t require preparation, nor make demands on your time and body for recovery. Botox injections can be completed in a single session, with no downtime and little to no side effects other than mild and fleeting redness, bruising, and tenderness.
There are many variables to consider when determining the best approach for face reduction, as the term means so many different things and can vary considerably from patient to patient. Contact Edmund Kwan, MD (201) 992 6742 to schedule your complimentary consultation in Manhattan, Flushing, or New Jersey.
