Midface Rejuvenation

Cheek Filler Overview

One of the foundational concepts in beauty is the human facial cheek.  Volume, structure, shape, and position all contribute to the aesthetics of the human midface.  One of our core philosophies for the care of the aging face is to maintain and support the midfacial and cheek areas of the face throughout the aging process.  Why is this area so important?

The midface, or cheek area includes the lower eyelid-cheek junction, the cheek itself, and the nasolabial fold (the parentheses on your face).  As we age, the midfacial fat pad shrinks, and descends.  The descent of this fat pocket results in deepening and thickening of the nasolabial fold, and also can deepen the tear trough, or make the juncture between the lower eyelid and the cheek very noticeable.

What is the Midface?

The midface refers to the horizontal 1/3 located between the nasion, located in the glabellar region, extending down to the lower base of the nose, known as the subnasale point.  This area of the face encompasses the upper and lower eyelid, lower eyelid/cheek junction, the malar, or cheek region, and 50% of the nasolabial fold (aka the “parentheses on your face”).  This area of the face is the core foundation of facial beauty, harmony, and confluence.  Full, ivbrant cheeks are a sign of youth, vibrance, and health.  Beyond their own appearance, when the cheek, or malar region is well positioned and volumized, it reduces directly and indirectly the appearance of the nasolabial folds, and the tear trough.  This is its importance, and this is why rejuvenating the midface is the core foundation of our facial aesthetics program at Ocean Drive.  

As shown on the diagram below, the fall of the cheek not only affects the cheek position itself, it also worsens the tear trough and the nasolabial fold. Because of this aging component, the first step in foundational facial aesthetics is to correct cheek position and volume. Not only does it directly impact the cheek area, it provides a significant beneficial effect to the nasolabial folds, and lower eyelids.

What happens as the midface ages?

At Ocean Drive, regardless of whether we are treating you with a surgical procedure, a non-surgical procedure, or a combined procedure for your face, we initially evaluate your midface for volume, position, and overall quality.  We then evaluate the structures surrounding the midface, and determine how much global benefit will be shared from the cheek to the tear trough, the nasolabial fold, jowling, etc.  Once we decide upon how we are treating the midface, we can then add on other services to target other facial locations.  As always, every procedure we undertake will be targeted to improve your natural strengths, or minimize/reduce any facial weaknesses.

Options for Midface Rejuvenation

1. Ocean Drive Injectable Cheek Lift. This technique provides foundational lift and customizable fill for the patient.  There are 3 general approaches that we can take to rejuvenate the face with our cheek lift:

• Instant Collagen Cheek Lift® – To provide maximum support and lift with minimal excess volume, nothing can compete with the Radiesse dermal filler platform.  Our foundational dermal filler platform is Radiesse, which is a Calcium Hydroxyapatite filler.  This product allows for the greatest degree of tissue lift amongst all dermal fillers.  In our practice, Radiesse is the most common product utilized for cheek rejuvenation because of its superior lifting properties.  Further, this specific product is a collagen induction agent, causing your body to create Type I collagen after injection.  This effect not only creates support for your midface, but it also creates an improvement in skin quality in the area that is injected.  Radiesse is the only dermal filler in the United States that can effectively lift tissue and produce healthy, vibrant Type I collagen.  This injection creates a very lifted, chiseled, almost athletic look to the midface.
• Soft Lift and Fill Cheek Lift® – Our second most popular injectable platform for the midface is Restylane Lyft.  This reversible, hyaluronic acid filler provides the greatest degree of lift of all the hyaluronic acid fillers currently available.  This particular product is most useful in men and women who already have a chiseled, athletic look, but want more softness with their lift.  This is also a great product for patients concerned about filler “reversibility”, as this filler can be removed with an enzyme called “Hyaluronidase”.  While this specific product does not provide as much lift as Radiesse®, patients absolutely love Restylane Lyft, as it provides a slightly more volumized appearance than Radiesse.  This product lasts a minimum of 10 months, up to a maximum of 14 months.
• Cheek Volumization –  For patients who have good cheek position, but have lost significant volume, look no further than Juvederm Voluma®.  This hyaluronic acid product will absolutely provide the most volume of any of the cheek fillers.  While we do not feel this product is effective at lifting the cheek, it is an incomparable volumizer to the cheek.  Patients who thrive with this product are usually younger in age, and are at, or even below their ideal body weight.  Injections of this product are dose dependent, meaning that the more you do, the longer it lasts.  In their FDA study, patients who received 8ml of Voluma maintained their effect for almost two years.  For 1-2mls of product, we commonly see 9-14 months of effect.

2. Ocean Drive Limited Incision Facelift – This surgical technique combines midface rejuvenation with comprehensive,natural elevation of the lower face and neck.

3. Renuva Injectable Therapy – This remarkable product causes a process called adipogenesis, resulting in your own body’s creation of new, natural, organic human fat.  This type of therapy provides lift, remarkable fill with longevity greater than two years.  Best part, the volume created is truly organic, and offers not only lift and volume, but creates a quality improvement in facial skin after it is injected.