One man’s meat is another man’s poison. Just as many Westerners like having a tan while the majority of Asians prefer being pale, some people pine for plumper cheeks and others long for a leaner face.
Your cheeks do have a huge impact on how you look. Chubby cheeks create a youthful appearance, high cheekbones are considered attractive by many and saggy cheeks are often a sign of ageing. The internet is inundated with wacky ways to get chubbier or slender cheeks, from farcical facial yoga expressions and barmy exercises that involve blowing up balloons to dubious drinks and bizarre diets.
There are also several cosmetic procedures that will help you lose or gain chubby cheeks. Some people are naturally endowed with thinner bone structure and less flesh on their face so their cheeks look slim. However, our subcutaneous fat reduces with age because as we grow older the hyaluronic acid we once produced starts to diminish. Our skin becomes dry and facial volume decreases. Gravity pulls the skin down, resulting in folds and sagging. When volume is restored to a hollow face it usually conveys youth. The simplest and quickest way to restore that volume is with dermal fillers that are specially formulated to replenish volume.
Injectable fillers contain hyaluronic acid, a naturally occurring sugar found in your body, which combines with the water in your skin to gently restore lost fullness to the cheek area. Such fillers also provide intense hydration from within to plump the skin, they add instant volume to the apple of the cheek, as well as the areas above and below it. The results can last as long as 18 months.
For a more permanent treatment most people opt for fat grafting, also known as fat transfer or fat injections. The procedure involves using fat harvested from the patient’s stomach or thighs via liposuction and using it to fill out hollowed cheeks and add extra volume. Prior to transplantation, around half of the fat is processed to enrich the stem cell content. This enrichment process is carried out to improve the prospects for the fat graft. So, the good news is that you do have treatment options when a loss of mid-face volume impacts your appearance.
However, some people are concerned about their cheeks being too chubby. A fat face can make a person’s physique seem much bigger and often people can feel embarrassment when they smile because they are worried about the puffiness of their cheeks. The buccal fat pads, found underneath your cheek bones, are what give your mid-face its full and rounded appearance. Since defined and prominent cheek bones are considered an ideal feature for attractiveness and beauty many people turn to cosmetic procedures that can correct chubby cheeks.
Probably one of the most effective treatments is a procedure that uses radio-frequency technology to thermally target subcutaneous tissue and tighten the skin. Among them is the advanced treatment called FaceTite which was specifically designed to treat the face without causing damage to the fat or any of the other delicate areas nearby. It is a one-off minimally invasive procedure that is performed under local anaesthesia or light sedation. The treatment uses a non-aspirating cannula, which means it doesn’t suck out fat but instead works to promote tissue contoured look. However, if necessary, fat can be removed from areas such as the cheeks, jowls and below the chin.
Finally, whether you have chubby cheeks or not, it’s important to remember that taking on an approach to full-body health and avoiding harmful habits that have a negative effect on your skin like smoking, drinking and sunlight will help keep your face looking young and healthy.
This source first appeared on Bangkok Post Lifestyle.