LAM FACIAL PLASTICS

Dear Dr Lam,
I am half asian and half caucasian but was unfortunately not blessed with the beautiful asian facial bone structure. Instead, I have a very (VERY) narrow jaw/face which I am highly insecure about. I have almost no cheeks, they are very shallow/sunken and I am only approaching 18 years old so it could not have been due to ageing. This is probably caused by poor bone structure and I intend to have volume added to account for such poor facial structure.

I plan to acquire procedures that don't result in maximum bruising or swelling so that I can keep a low profile in front of my parents. I also do not intend to receive cheek implants or jaw correction surgery due to concerns over costs.

However, my main concern is whether injectable fillers are able to give me a significant increase in facial volume. If so, how many vials/ml of any good fillers would I require per side of the face/cheek? My budget is about $4000.

Would fat transfer be more effective in providing fullness to the face? In most before and after pictures that I have seen, the fillers are able to attain a high cheekbone appearance, however, what I mainly desire is a rounder and broader face/cheeks.

So basically, which procedure would you recommend that is cost-effective and effective in providing significant volume increase?

Thank you very much

hi,
i am not a fan of performing massive fat or even conservative fat in an 18 year old. fat is not restylane. it is a live graft and i am concerned that it will not age for you. it is the same fear that i have doing a hair transplant in an 18 year old because it will not age well but for different reasons.

using fillers, again i would do only temporary fillers that are reversible given your age so that i can have a safe result. typically 4,000 is a lot more than i would predict you would need to spend. even in an older patient who is very gaunt in the midface, i typically do not use more than 1.5 syringes per side. of course, i could be totally wrong with you. what i do is use my fillers very effectively so i can oftentimes use 1/2 of what other doctors use. you should be surprised at how little i can use to create a result. at 3 syringes it would be about 1500. could i be wrong when i see you? of course. but i would truly doubt for midfacial volume you would need to spend 4k. i would save that money and plan on a 550 touchup at 6 months or so. typically that is all one needs to maintain the result.

in short, i highly encourage a temporary result not a permanent one in someone your age. i truly think it is the safest course of action.
best wishes,
sml