Question: I have a deep vertical up-and-down line in my cheek. I have tried filler. It just made a ridge. Is there anything I can do about this?
Answer:
Yes, filler tends to be disappointing for this area. The lines are usually caused by muscle so filling the skin is not typically effective. This leaves you with two options – the easy office option and two surgical options.
The office easy option is to have a little Botox injected in a few places along the line. This will not make it go away completely, but it will usually improve a lot. If you also have tretinoin-based skin care, it should help by improving and thickening the skin. Botox needs to be done every 3 months at first, and then after 2 years, maybe only twice a year. Skin care is important to maintain – it’s a little like brushing our teeth. Skin, like teeth, needs maintenance.
The surgical option is a face lift. If you need a face lift, during the surgery your surgeon can lift the facial skin far across the cheek, lifting the deep line off the muscle below. Since these lines tend to be half-way across the cheek, this may leave more bruising than usual but should correct the line.
If you have a lot of deep, facial lines or if you don’t need a face lift, a full face CO2 resurfacing laser or Hester phenol-croton oil peel – also done in the operating room, may be a better option.
Just give us a call is we can help.