HA granules - swelling or permanent 'chubby cheeks'?

[kavan]

Thanks, I shouldn't complain! It seems that overall I got a good result - functionally it's definitely good and aesthetically an improvement. I am worried about posting full face pictures for privacy reasons but the feedback I'm getting from people re: looks is consistently positive and the surgeon asked to put my before-after pictures on his website (I had to politely decline) so these are good signs. Seeing jaw surgery is a huge gamble I really should count myself lucky.

What bugs me is that these 'fat' cheeks - that I apparently had all along - are suddenly really 'in my face' (literally). Nobody noticed or commented on them before (myself included), but now several people asked if I had 'something done to my cheeks' like fillers or an implant (?) and it throws off the aesthetic result. When I pull my skin on the sides so these 'fat pads' disappear, I look much better and I showed that to a few people and they all said 'wow that looks amazing' (my face with the skin pulled) so I feel like it makes the difference between a good result and a really good result.

Anyway, I guess I wait for a few months for all the swelling to go and then will visit a few plastic surgeons to ask for their take on it. I can now see that this is how it works with getting surgery to improve your looks: you solve one problem (if you're lucky) but pretty much create another and it's probably never ending.

It is very COMMON for people, on their own faces, not to see other things that are already there when the FOCUS is on one thing. In this case the maxillofacial relationship/gummy smile.  When the aesthetic culprit of focus is CORRECTED, the focus goes to other parts.  So, much of this is not a 'creation of another problem' but rather being able to see what was not focused on prior when what was focused on prior is fixed and no longer visible.

ETA: As to people asking you if you've done something to your cheeks, it's because they 'see' something about you is DIFFERENT or CHANGED but they can't put their finger on what it is.  It would be extremely RARE for the average person to notice what changed and say something like: 'Did you get your over bite fixed?'

[GJ]

It is very COMMON for people, on their own faces, not to see other things that are already there when the FOCUS is on one thing. In this case the maxillofacial relationship/gummy smile.  When the aesthetic culprit of focus is CORRECTED, the focus goes to other parts.  So, much of this is not a 'creation of another problem' but rather being able to see what was not focused on prior when what was focused on prior is fixed and no longer visible.

ETA: As to people asking you if you've done something to your cheeks, it's because they 'see' something about you is DIFFERENT or CHANGED but they can't put their finger on what it is.  It would be extremely RARE for the average person to notice what changed and say something like: 'Did you get your over bite fixed?'

Bingo.

Especially paragraph 1. This can work to the advantage of someone, too, and say bring out great eyes they had but were being obfuscated by a bad jaw that took the viewers' eye to that.

Eye will pretty much always go to the weakest link unless another feature is so great it overrides that, which is also possible, but more rare.

[InvisalignOnly]

It is very COMMON for people, on their own faces, not to see other things that are already there when the FOCUS is on one thing. In this case the maxillofacial relationship/gummy smile.  When the aesthetic culprit of focus is CORRECTED, the focus goes to other parts.  So, much of this is not a 'creation of another problem' but rather being able to see what was not focused on prior when what was focused on prior is fixed and no longer visible.

ETA: As to people asking you if you've done something to your cheeks, it's because they 'see' something about you is DIFFERENT or CHANGED but they can't put their finger on what it is.  It would be extremely RARE for the average person to notice what changed and say something like: 'Did you get your over bite fixed?'

You are making good points. I am quite surprised by how nobody seems to know what changed about my face specifically. They say things like 'you look better but I don't know why'. Even when I point it out to close family members and friends that my chin used the be 1cm further back than where it is now, they look surprised and say they don't remember, it's quite funny how it works really.

[kavan]

You are making good points. I am quite surprised by how nobody seems to know what changed about my face specifically. They say things like 'you look better but I don't know why'. Even when I point it out to close family members and friends that my chin used the be 1cm further back than where it is now, they look surprised and say they don't remember, it's quite funny how it works really.

Well, that is how it works. People just notice something different. It's a good sign if they also said you looked better even if with that they also asked if you did something to your cheeks.

[InvisalignOnly]

It's a good sign if they also said you looked better even if with that they also asked if you did something to your cheeks.

Everyone agrees I look (much) better, even the people that mention the cheek thing, so I guess I better get over it and find something else to worry about for the next few months.

[kavan]

Everyone agrees I look (much) better, even the people that mention the cheek thing, so I guess I better get over it and find something else to worry about for the next few months.

yup

[boyo]

When I pull my skin on the sides so these 'fat pads' disappear, I look much better and I showed that to a few people and they all said 'wow that looks amazing' (my face with the skin pulled) so I feel like it makes the difference between a good result and a really good result.

Haven't seen your pics, but what you're describing is saggy supranasolabial malar pads.
Makes the face look a lot older.
The solution is transtemporal subperiosteal midface lift in conjunction with kybella injections or micro liposuction to the supranasolabial pad.

[InvisalignOnly]

Haven't seen your pics, but what you're describing is saggy supranasolabial malar pads.
Makes the face look a lot older.
The solution is transtemporal subperiosteal midface lift in conjunction with kybella injections or micro liposuction to the supranasolabial pad.

Thanks, I'll look into that! Having said that, I definitely don't look older, in fact people are telling me I look younger since the surgery.

[beautyislife]

I had HA placed on my cheeks with my surgery. I think it added far too much mass at too low of a position, but in terms of swelling/chubby cheeks look, I don't notice it as much in pictures anymore (6months post op) but I do notice it in videos. It looks like I have more "chipmunk" cheeks, though I was told there is still some residual swelling in that area even now.

[InvisalignOnly]

I had HA placed on my cheeks with my surgery. I think it added far too much mass at too low of a position, but in terms of swelling/chubby cheeks look, I don't notice it as much in pictures anymore (6months post op) but I do notice it in videos. It looks like I have more "chipmunk" cheeks, though I was told there is still some residual swelling in that area even now.

Thanks for that! Interesting what you say about the videos - I also noticed I look more of a chipmunk in real life than in pictures. It's been steadily improving though, hoping it will sort itself out over the coming months.

[GJ]

I think it added far too much mass at too low of a position

This seems to be the big problem with it.

[scramfranklin]

This seems to be the big problem with it.

Yea, it isn’t the first time I’ve heard of it. My surgeon like to do it a lot... I think I’ll opt out.