The nose is the main point of focus for overall facial features from both the front and profile. A nose is flat, sunken in appearance will distract from your other facial features. Premaxillary augmentation addresses a sunken, drooped or pushed-in appearance of nasal base and the upper lip.
Who is a candidate for premaxillary augmentation?
If you have a nose appearance that makes you unhappy due to a sunken look, you are likely a candidate for this custom surgery. We will carefully measure and assess your lower face anatomy to ensure you achieve the desired results. Because a premaxillary augmentation will affectively lower the upper lip line, your lip position will be evaluated when relaxed, and when smiling.
A gummy smile…
In most cases, a premaxillary deficiency will show too much upper gum when smiling. This is normally corrected through the course of the surgical procedure. Every person has a unique situation, whether too much gum showing, or too little. A custom surgery can correct either of these aesthetic flaws.
What are the implants used for premaxillary augmentation?
Because everyone’s face “maps” differently – which is what gives you your unique looks – the exact techniques and implant material may vary from patient to patient. The general idea is to lift the base of the nose and bring it out farther from the face. To do this, various custom implants are available.
Autografts
These are “autologous” (coming from your body) materials, usually cartilage and sometimes bone. Cartilage is often preferred because of its high biocompatibility and low rate of rejection or infection. Using autograft implants will extend the operating time because a separate procedure performed first to harvest the cartilage which may be taken from the septum.
Homografts
These are materials that come from a tissue bank. While they can have good benefits for thin-skinned patients when combined with biomaterials derived from human skin, they also have a greater potential for reabsorption over time.
Allografts
Because they are available as a medical graft, an advantage of using an allograft is that no addition surgery time is required, with no donor site recovery needed. While they are not necessarily as biocompatible as autographs, various versions of this type of implant have superior stabilization and rarely cause problems.
Other implants: Polymers, surgical-grade silicone, Gore-Tex and powdered ceramic (hydroxyapatite) are other implant possibilities.
We list these different types of implant materials only to show you that there are many ways to tailor your procedure to your specific needs and anatomy. During your consultation, we will detail exactly what procedure we recommend and why we feel it will give you an optimal, very attractive outcome.
Your best choice: Cheng Plastic Surgery
Dr. Elbert Cheng and Dr. Jacqueline Cheng are highly accredited facial plastic and reconstructive surgeons with double board certification in head and neck surgery, with a private clinic in Saratoga, California, easily accessed from San Jose and Palo Alto and across the Bay Area. They have established a luxury, private, state-of-the art surgery center and a full staff of medical professionals to assist you.
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