How Much Can My Cheekbones Be Reduced with Cheekbone Reduction Surgery?

Hello, this is Dr. Jo Hyun-woo from 3D Plastic Surgery.

Many people come in for consultations because they want to make prominent cheekbones and developed areas smaller and more refined, and the question they are most curious about is, “How much can it be reduced?”

Today, I’ll explain how much the cheekbones can be reduced after cheekbone surgery, one of the facial contouring surgeries.

In general, the 3D cheekbone reduction surgery that people consult about involves making an incision inside the mouth, partially removing the 45-degree cheekbone area, and then cutting the posterior part of the cheekbone through an incision near the sideburn.

In the past, the amount of 45-degree cheekbone bone removed was sometimes quite large, but these days, due to the problem of nonunion, only the necessary amount is removed, and then the bone is rotated inward.

You can see from the front after surgery that the side cheekbone has moved inward.

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

This is a view of the cheekbones from below. You can see that the side cheekbone has been drawn in well.

Strictly speaking, the side cheekbone can move inward by the same thickness as the bone itself.

For the bone that has been cut and moved inward to settle together with the original bone like this, it must fit together properly without nonunion.

CT before and after 3D cheekbone reduction surgery

Even on the CT of an actual surgical patient, you can see that the side cheekbone has moved inward by the thickness of the bone and healed well.

CT before and after 230-degree 3D cheekbone reduction surgery

When more than 6 months have passed after surgery, you can see that the cheekbones naturally move inward and fuse, as shown in this CT image.

As you can see from the examples explained so far, in 3D cheekbone reduction surgery and 230-degree 3D cheekbone reduction surgery, the amount by which the side cheekbone moves inward depends on the thickness of your own bone. Of course, 3D cheekbone reduction surgery involves pushing in the 45-degree cheekbone a bit more, so it may feel slightly more reduced.

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

Therefore, for women with thicker bones, you can expect the face width to be reduced by about 1 cm in total on both sides.

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

These are photos of a patient who underwent 3D cheekbone reduction surgery.

These are photos of a patient who underwent 230-degree 3D cheekbone reduction surgery.

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

Unless the cheekbones are too thin or there is only excess fat, cheekbone surgery can be a good way to make the face look more refined.

I have explained how much the cheekbones can be reduced.

Because each patient has a different cheekbone size and a different amount of soft tissue, you can get a rough idea of how much your cheekbones can actually be reduced by getting a CT scan and a consultation.

Thank you.