Facial Bone Surgery

Overview

Essentially, the face is a soft tissue reflection of the underlying skeleton. The surgical modification of this skeletal framework to create a more aesthetically pleasing look is known as facial bone surgery. Not only is it desirable to address a specific defect, but also to enhance the overall aesthetic harmony of the face. By performing osteotomies or by adding bone or other materials to the skeleton, the face skeleton's contour can be corrected. Additional bone contouring is frequently required following a maxillary or mandibular repositioning to correct minor asymmetries. It is possible to augment certain body parts alone or in conjunction with osteotomies, such as the cheek, chin, or nose.

What is Facial Contouring Surgery?

The fact that beauty is dynamic rather than fixed is one of its most interesting features. Throughout human history, ideals of beauty have undergone significant change, and today's cultural standards of beauty are still incredibly diverse. A soft and feminine facial appearance is appreciated among all women. The ideal feminine facial aesthetic is compromised by the fact that many women are born with protruding cheeks or mouths, long or square jaw lines, or both. To give patients the chance to get the features they want by permanently treating the following problems, facial bone surgery has developed:

Square jaw
Weak chin
Chin or jaw protrusion
Mouth protrusion
Flaring or protruding cheeks
Asymmetrical mouth

Based on your goals and preferences, surgeon technical inclinations, and your facial structure, your surgeon can prescribe the contouring operations that would benefit you the most.

Facial Bone Surgery Candidates

You may get alleviation from facial bone surgery if you experience any of the following problems:

You have a chin that is too long, square, or prominent.
Your cheeks stick out excessively.
You want to lessen the angle at which your protruding chin or mouth protrudes.
Your jawline is asymmetrical.

Asian facial bone surgery candidates should also:

Have a healthy mental and physical condition.
Set realistic goals for what surgery can and cannot do.
Know the procedures that are involved.
Be aware of any potential dangers or difficulties.

Significant health issues including diabetes, hypertension, bleeding disorders, heart disease, depression, or obesity may make it more difficult for you to recover completely from the surgery. If any of the above apply to you, consult your surgeon.

Facial Bone Surgery Benefits

Men and women who get this surgery report a variety of benefits:

Increased confidence
Higher self-esteem
A more balanced face
Female-looking jawline
A lesser cheek protrusion
A more balanced facial appearance
Jaw or mouth protrusion reduction
Well-defined jawline
Reduced recovery time compared to other facial cosmetic procedures

How to Choose Facial Bone Surgeon?

A particular sequence of reduction surgery operations is used in facial contouring, and they typically entail some kind of osteotomy (bone cutting and reshaping). Recontouring of the bone is necessary for the reduction malarplasty (reduction of the cheekbones), jaw reduction, and mandibular angleplasty (reduction of the protrusion of the jawline). You should look for a surgeon with experience doing the precise facial contouring operations you are considering to get the best results. The first and most important step to ensure you have beautiful postoperative results is finding the correct surgeon with the necessary competence and with whom you feel comfortable. When starting your search for a surgeon, bear in mind the following five essential factors:

Experience in the Procedure You Need

Within the area of plastic surgery, certain surgeons have specific areas of expertise. A distinct set of abilities are required for rhinoplasty than for a procedure like breast augmentation that works on soft tissue because it involves working on cartilage and bone. Look for a specialist who specializes in or has a good reputation for facial bone surgery.

Doctor with Friendly Manner

Your surgeon should make you feel entirely at ease. It's crucial to feel comfortable asking questions (especially those that seem sensitive) and to learn about any potential dangers or consequences when initially speaking with a prospective surgeon.

Board Certification

The most important certification a surgeon may possess is board certification. With board certification, you can be sure that the person caring for you is a consummate expert who routinely attends training sessions, keeps up with developments in their field, and follows the highest patient safety guidelines. The American Board of Plastic Surgery certification (ABPS) is the highest level of board certification offered to surgeons in the United States.

Facility Accreditation

The setting in which your surgeon performs surgery is equally crucial. Any prospective surgeon should be asked about the location of your surgery as well as the facility's degree of accreditation.

Appealing Aesthetic Sense

A surgeon's aesthetic sensibility can be determined from before and after images, as can the kind of results you can anticipate from your facial bone surgery. What one surgeon finds attractive; another can find unattractive. When you start looking for a surgeon, you'll discover that certain surgeons' work is more attractive than others. Look at images of patients with similar characteristics or features to yours to get a sense of the kind of outcome you might reasonably expect.

Facial Bone Surgery Preparation

You must prepare thoroughly for facial bone surgery to get the results you want and prevent complications. Depending on the operation, different preparation may be needed for facial bone surgery. Therefore, before doing anything, you should always see your doctor. Regardless of the surgery you will have, you should generally:

Stop smoking. Avoid smoking four to six weeks before surgery.
Avoid drinking alcohol. It may make bleeding more probable both during and after the surgery. Preoperatively, you should abstain from alcohol for roughly a week.
Do not take blood thinners before surgery. It is not advised that you take blood thinners before the surgical procedure. If you are currently taking them, let your doctor know and ask if you should stop or switch to a different medication.
Stop using herbal drugs. Just because they are natural doesn't mean they can't hurt you. Inform your doctor of any herbals you are taking and ask whether you should cease taking them before the surgery.
Protect yourself from the sun. Try to limit your exposure to the sun and apply sunscreen to protect yourself. Having natural skin tone is better when having surgery.
Avoid eating the night before the procedure. Eating before the procedure could interfere with the anesthetic, therefore you should avoid eating that night. On the other side, you need to consume enough water to maintain your hydration.
Medical tests. Some surgeries may require imaging and blood work. If a surgical method is about to be performed, specifically, ask the doctor if you need to undergo any testing.

Your mind must also be ready when you are getting ready. You must be quite certain of what you are about to do because some methods are irreversible. Ask for some pictures of previous surgery patients, and be open and honest with your doctor about your expectations and any concerns you may have.

Facial Bone Surgery Procedures

The number of procedures you have depends on how long your operation takes. Generally speaking, the key treatments in the majority of facial bone surgeries include genioplasty, jaw reduction, and malarplasty. For a complete facial transformation, these can be combined with other treatments such as rhinoplasty, blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery), or foreheadplasty. To achieve the best results and shorten the recovery time if you are having several procedures, your doctor may advise spaced surgeries.

Reduction Malarplasty

The cheek region or zygomatic arch may be reshaped, reduced, or repositioned during reduction malarplasty, sometimes referred to as zygoma reduction. Typically, the operation takes 1.5 to 2 hours. Through intraoral (mouth), coronal (top of the head), or preauricular (in front of the ear) cuts, the surgeon has access to the area.

Depending on your particular needs and facial structure, your surgeon will choose the best incision approach. Various methods can be used to shorten and remodel the zygomatic arch.

Through an intraoral incision, zygomatic shaving lessens the prominence of the cheek projection and reduces the angles of the malar complex.
The frontal aspect of the bone is smaller with burring.
The zygomatic arch is dramatically reduced and modified during osteotomy. Through a sliding technique, the zygomatic arch is reshaped, reinserted, and repositioned in the cheek. This procedure calls for a patient with elastic skin since the amount of bone that is removed to narrow the midface may cause sagging skin.

Jaw Reduction Surgery

To reduce and restructure the mandible and treat a heavy or square jawline, various surgical procedures are available. Incisions made inside the mouth are typically used to access the mandible during surgery, which typically lasts 1.5 to 2.5 hours. The anatomical region of the jaw that is addressed and the type of resection procedure used vary between surgical approaches.

The prominence and projection of the jaw are reduced via mandibular bone shaving. For more delicate and refined outcomes, this operation would often remove 0.3-0.5 cm off either side of the face.
To feminize and slim down the face, a mandible angle resection is done. The resection may be done with an oscillating saw. The lower part of the face has a moderate change, and each side of the jaw has between 0.5 and 0.8 cm of width reduced.
The individuals who benefit from mandible angle-splitting osteotomy the most have faces that are moderately to pronouncedly square-shaped. By removing the outer cortex of the mandible, angle-splitting osteotomy significantly reduces the size of the jaw. There may be less use of the masseter muscles in the jaw. The width of the face is reduced by up to 1 cm on each side.

Genioplasty

Genioplasty is a surgical procedure that augments or reduces the chin's profile. If you have a strong jaw or a square chin, osteotomy will be used to reduce or round the height of the chin. The surgeon will add implants to the existing structure if your chin is weak. After undergoing other contouring surgeries, genioplasty may be done to make sure the face is symmetrical.

Since the procedure was done intraorally, there are no obvious scars on the face. To access the lower jaw bone and chin, an incision is made in the gum on the inside of the lower lip. The chin bone is carefully broken and moved into its new location using a tiny saw. It is fixed in place using screws and metal plates. Stitches that dissolve are used to stitch the gum inside the mouth.

V-Line Surgery

V-line surgery, commonly referred to as double jaw surgery, is a treatment that combines genioplasty and jaw reduction surgery. It is distinguished by three phases, which together create a V-line jaw profile: decreasing the angle or protrusion of the jaw; reducing the size of the masseter muscles and the mandible, and recontouring the chin.

Facial Bone Surgery Recovery

The length of time it takes to recuperate after facial bone surgery varies greatly depending on the surgery you had. The subsequent recovery time spans a few days to three to four weeks. You should think about the following to ensure the best outcomes and to prevent any potential complications:

Rest and stay away from sports for a few weeks.
After surgery, abstain from drinking and smoking for one month.
Elevate your head when you sleep.
Apply cold compresses if there is swelling.
Avoid chewing-intensive foods that are hard.

Facial Bone Surgery Complications

The side effects of facial bone surgery differ depending on the technique utilized. Depending on the surgery you select, the risks and side effects of facial bone surgery will vary. However, the negative effects of surgical approaches typically consist of:

Bleeding
Bruising
Swelling
Damage to the adjacent tissues
Infection
Asymmetry in the jaw
Blood clots

How Much Does Facial Bone Surgery Cost?

Depending on the amount of work needed and the number of operations you have, facial bone surgery can cost anywhere from $4,000 to $30,000.

After your initial consultation, request a detailed price from your surgeon so you are aware of the cost involved. Medical insurance rarely pays for facial contouring because it is an elective cosmetic operation. The following expenses could also affect the total cost of the procedure:

The reputation of the surgeon in his field. Surgeons whose aesthetic procedures are highly respected may cost more.
The area in which your surgeon practices. Due to higher overhead costs, surgical clinics in larger metropolitan areas typically have higher fees.
The kind of facility the surgeon works at. Surgery performed in a hospital typically costs more than surgery done in an outpatient facility or ambulatory clinic.

Conclusion

Facial bone surgery involves dissecting the face bones, which contain numerous facial nerves and blood vessels. It can only be done by a specialist surgeon as a result. As the entire facial structure will change as a result of the operation, careful planning is necessary. After the shape of the face has been modified, it is important to assess how well the other facial features match it.