Sunken cheeks can affect both men and women, causing a gaunt, older appearance. They commonly occur with age and can cause other signs of ageing to become more prominent.
It is common for patients with sunken cheeks to also experience more prominent jowls, deeper nose-to-mouth lines, and a general loss in facial smoothness.
What are the causes of sunken cheeks?
Sunken cheeks are most commonly associated with ageing. Over time, you start to lose fat volume within the face. You develop sunken cheeks when there is limited tissue between the mandible and the zygoma. This is the bony arch located underneath the eye. The ageing process (and gravity) can also cause your skin to droop and sag, and this can also pull the cheeks downwards. Muscles also begin to waste away as you age (atrophy), which also adds to the sunken appearance. Sun damage can also be a contributing factor, as it can cause your skin to lose elasticity. And, of course, your genetics will also be a factor.
While ageing is the leading cause of sunken cheeks, they can also be a sign of an underlying illness. Those with eating disorders, vascular EDS and lipoatrophy can all develop sunken cheeks.
What are my options for addressing sunken cheeks?
Fortunately, there are a few options available to restore volume to your cheeks.
- Dermal fillers/ cheek fillers — injected into the sunken area to increase volume
- Cheek augmentation — uses implants or fat transfer to lift and add volume
- Mid-face lift — lifts your cheeks as part of a facelift to restore a youthful appearance
- Fat transfer — uses liposuction to remove fat from other parts of your body in order to add it to your cheeks
- Facelift — lifts and tightens the skin on your face to reduce sagging and smooth your cheeks
Can stress cause you to lose fat in the mid face?
It is possible to lose fat in the mid face due to stress. The stress hormone can cause changes within the skin’s proteins. This in turn can cause it to lose its elasticity. If you are exposed to chronic stress for long periods of time, eventually it could lead to a loss of fat and a gaunter appearance.
ASSOCIATED PROCEDURES: Dermal Fillers, Fat Transfer, Facelift
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TREATMENT OPTION: DERMAL FILLERS
Dermal fillers are an exciting anti-ageing treatment which can help to restore our skin and facial contours to their former youthful appearance, or enhance/ plump particular areas to be more aesthetically pleasing.
This treatment is often used in the lips, cheeks, nasolabial folds (nose to mouth lines), and can also add facial volume to correct a weak chin.
Discover our dermal filler treatmentsTREATMENT OPTION: FACELIFT
A facelift (rhytidectomy) is a surgical procedure that can improve the most visible signs of the ageing process by eliminating excess fat, tightening and elevating the muscles beneath the skin of the face and by removing or repositioning sagging skin.
Discover our facelift proceduresTREATMENT OPTION: SMAS FACELIFT
A SMAS facelift is an advanced facial rejuvenation procedure and incorporates both the lifting and tightening of your jowls, cheeks and upper neck. By choosing Karidis Clinic in London for your SMAS facelift, you’ll have the peace of mind that your results will be natural-looking.
Discover our SMAS facelift treatmentTREATMENT OPTION: DEEP PLANE FACELIFT
Deep plane facelift surgery is the skillful uncovering of the anatomical plane under the muscles known as the Superficial Musculo-Aponeurotic System, SMAS (the fibrous tissue and the skin’s plasma). The facelift lifts this, all in one, upwards. As your surgeon will be working underneath your muscles, your skin remains looking natural, never stretched or tight.
Discover our deep plane facelift treatment
