Zygoma Reduction Surgery: How Much Can My Cheekbones Be Reduced?

Hello. I’m Dr. Jo Hyun-woo of 입체성형외과.

Today, I’ll talk about how much the cheekbones can be reduced after zygoma surgery, which is one type of facial contouring surgery.

Many people come in for consultations to make prominent cheekbones and developed areas smaller and slimmer, and the first question they usually ask is, “How much will it be reduced?”

In general, the 3D zygoma surgery that people consult about is as shown in the following illustration:

Through an incision inside the mouth, part of the cheekbone at the 45-degree area is removed, and then through an incision near the sideburn, the back part of the cheekbone is cut.

In the past, the amount of cheekbone removed at the 45-degree area could be quite large.

These days, because of concerns about nonunion, only the necessary amount is removed, and then the bone is rotated inward.

Then, after surgery, can you see the side cheekbone moving inward from the front?

As shown by the red-circled area, the side cheekbone moves inward, and the 45-degree cheekbone is pushed inward by about 3 to 4 mm using a bent plate.

Then, as the 45-degree cheekbone area moves inward, the side cheekbone also moves inward together.

This is a view of the cheekbone from below. You can see that the side cheekbone is well moved inward.

Strictly speaking, the side cheekbone can move inward by the thickness of the bone.

The bone that has been cut and moved inward and the original bone need to overlap like this in order to heal properly without nonunion.

In an actual patient’s CT scan after surgery, can you see that it has healed well after moving inward by the thickness of the bone?

If more than 6 months have passed after surgery, you can see that the cheekbone has naturally moved inward and solidified, as in the photo above.

As you can see from the examples explained so far, the amount the side cheekbone moves inward in 3D zygoma surgery and 230-degree zygoma surgery depends on your own bone thickness. Of course, 3D zygoma surgery also has the additional amount of the 45-degree cheekbone being pushed inward, so it may feel like it goes in a little more.

Based on the many patients I have consulted with and operated on, women usually have cheekbone thickness of about 3 to 5 mm, and men about 5 to 7 mm.

Therefore, among women with thicker bones, you can think of the total facial width being reduced by about 1 cm on both sides combined.

I will show you photos of actual patients who underwent 3D zygoma surgery and 230-degree zygoma surgery.

Before and after CT for 3D zygoma reduction surgery

Before and after 3D zygoma reduction surgery, square jaw surgery, chin surgery, and masseter muscle reduction surgery

Before and after CT for 230-degree zygoma reduction surgery

Before and after 230-degree zygoma reduction surgery

As you can see in the photos, the face becomes slimmer and the left-right width of the face is reduced.

Unless the cheekbones are too thin or the issue is only excess fat, zygoma surgery can be a good way to make the face slimmer.

So far, I have explained how much the cheekbones can be reduced.

Because each patient has a different cheekbone size and different amount of soft tissue, you can roughly estimate how much your own cheekbones will be reduced by getting a CT scan and having a consultation.

Thank you.