Providing Patients in Sydney and around Australia with Ear Surgery and Chin and Cheek Implants

The face is the most important part of your identity and has long been felt to be the personification of a person’s soul.  Facial harmony, proportion, and symmetry are considered the most important aspects of facial beauty. At Silkwood Medical in Sydney, we perform procedures for all areas of the face. Ear surgery, chin and cheek implants, and rhinoplasty can reshape your facial features and produce natural-looking results. We also offer a variety of other treatments, including lip enhancement, blepharoplasty, neck lift surgery, skin injections, and muscle relaxers for the ultimate facial makeover.

Chin Augmentation Using Implants
Cheek Augmentation Using Implants
Otoplasty (Ear Surgery)
Hairline Lowering Surgery
Frequently Asked Questions

Chin Augmentation Using Implants

Cheek and chin implants are used balance the proportions of the face. Chin implants are most often used if you have a small lower jaw. They are also commonly used to compensate for large noses and make the nose appear smaller. A wide range of sizes and shapes of chin implants are available to address your particular needs. Although it rarely occurs, if you are unsatisfied with the results, your cheek and chin implants can be removed.

The Chin Augmentation Procedure

Chin implants can be an isolated procedure or combined with other facial or nose surgery. The chin implant is inserted via an incision under the chin crease or through an incision in the mouth. The surgery is performed as a day-stay procedure under general anaesthesia. However local anaesthesia combined with a sedative, administered by an experienced anaesthetist, may be selected.

Recovery from Chin Augmentation

After a chin implant procedure you should be up and about on the same day and back at work in three to four days. Bruising and swelling are rare. There is generally no pain associated with the chin implants procedure.

Cheek Augmentation Using Implants

Two main groups may benefit from cheek implants. Some patients are born with a relatively flat mid face that does not develop with the rest of the face. Cheek implants can restore facial harmony and accentuate the beauty commonly associated with high cheekbones. Other people lose cheek structure and volume with age. Tightening the skin of the face and relocating the cheek fat upwards can reverse this aged look.

The Cheek Augmentation Procedure

Cheek implant surgery is performed either as an isolated procedure or can be combined with other facial or nose surgery, including chin augmentation. Cheek implants can be inserted via lower eyelid incisions or through facelift incisions at the time of facelift surgery. Dr. Warwick Nettle prefers to insert all cheek implants via an incision in the crease of the upper gum inside the mouth and to place the implants right next to the bone so that the maximum amount of soft tissue covers the implants. This camouflages their shape and makes them less likely to be felt. The surgery is performed as a day-stay procedure under general anaesthesia. However, local anaesthesia combined with a sedative, administered by an experienced anaesthetist, may be selected.

Recovery from Cheek Augmentation

You should be up and about on the same day and back at work in three to four days. Both bruising and swelling are rare. There is rarely any pain associated with the procedure.

Otoplasty (Ear Pinning Surgery)

Ear surgery is performed to correct prominent or ‘bat’ ears or to reduce the size of large ears. Otoplasty is possible at any age, but it is often recommended for children aged five or six. Correcting the ears before the child enters school can help eliminate potential teasing and psychological trauma. Ear surgery can improve the position of your ears and overall appearance, as well as confidence and self-esteem.

The Otoplasty Procedure

The ears are positioned closer to the head by reshaping the cartilage. The cartilage is reshaped through incisions placed behind the ears so that any resulting scars are concealed in creases. Most ear surgery is performed as day surgery under local anaesthesia combined with a sedative. The procedure takes one to two hours. Any stitches are usually dissolvable.

Recovery from Ear Surgery

You should be up and about on the day of ear surgery but plan on taking it easy for the first week. You should be able to return to work or school five to six days after surgery. Any pain can be controlled by medication. A full head dressing covering both ears is usually left intact for five days after surgery. After it is removed, you may have a lukewarm shower and wash your hair.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are large or poorly shaped ears inherited?
In early life, one of the main concerns is excessively prominent ears, and children can be teased by their classmates for having ears that stick out from the head too much. It is true that this can be an inherited feature from parents or grandparents but it is often an individual characteristic. It occurs in both males and females, but it is more obvious for boys as they generally have shorter hair and cannot hide their ears so easily.

Can babies’ ears be taped?
It is possible to tape the ears of babies back to the head soon after they are born with sticking plaster to encourage the ears to develop a curve that places them closer to the head so they won’t protrude so much. This is commonly performed in some countries where these children, at a later age, have less need for corrective ear surgery than occurs in Australia.

How can I be sure chin and cheek implants will look natural?
As with almost all surgery, moderation is the key to a natural-looking result. While a moderate increase in cheek or chin size may be aesthetically beneficial, a very large increase can look artificial and disharmonious. At Silkwood Medical, we always strive for natural-looking results in ear surgery, chin and cheek implants, and with any other procedures we perform.

Will chin and cheek implants move around?
Correct positioning of the chin and cheek implants is important, as they are designed to stay in one position and not move. However, severe facial trauma that might occur in a car accident or an assault may cause the implants to be displaced, requiring corrective surgery.

Are there alternatives to chin and cheek implants?
There is one form of facelift surgery, the lateral SMASectomy or L-lift, which can address aesthetic flaws in the cheek region. Fat injections to this area can achieve long-lasting results, but most surgeons and patients are generally disappointed as the fat fades with time and requires maintenance. Cheek implants remain the most effective permanent solution.

Hairline Lowering Surgery

A high hairline can look unnatural, and many people feel it gives them an aged or alien-like appearance. The hairline lowering procedure creates a more harmonious, youthful facial balance by lowering the anterior hairline and reducing the show of forehead skin.

Hair grafting is another approach that addresses the high hairline, but is much more costly and time consuming. The hairline lowering procedure is more affordable and offers immediate results. Dr. Warwick Nettle was trained in this procedure by leading U.S. facial plastic surgeon Dr. Sheldon Kabaker, the “Guru” of hairline lowering.

Hairline lowering is customised to your specific needs ranging from minor to more extensive hairline advancement. The hairline lowering procedure may be performed as an isolated procedure or with other facial rejuvenation procedures offered at our practice, such as brow lift, eyelid surgery, rhinoplasty, and facelift.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much hair lowering can I expect?
This is determined by your scalp and forehead laxity – in other words how easily you can move it backwards and forwards.  Usually 2-3cm can easily be achieved, often more.

What if I have a very tight scalp or need hairline lowering by more than this?
A more complex, staged procedure is available for those with little scalp movement or who require advancement of the hairline by more than 4cm – this will be fully discussed at your consultation if applicable to you.

How long does the improvement last?
The hairline lowering procedure gives permanent improvement and does not need to be repeated.

How long does the procedure take?
The procedure usually takes between 1-2 hours and is normally performed either under general anaesthetic or intravenous sedation.

What age is best for hairline lowering?
The hairline lowering procedure can be performed at any age, although the most common age is from early 20′s onwards.  There is no older age limit for the procedure.

Discover the Benefits of our Just for Men Treatments

If you are a male in Sydney or willing to travel, and are interested in rhinoplasty, blepharoplasty, liposculpture, gynaecomastia treatment, or another just–for-men procedure we offer at our practice, please contact Silkwood Medical today. Our skilled surgeons have helped numerous local and international male patients look and feel their best with our advanced cosmetic treatments, and can meet with you to determine which option best suits your aesthetic concerns.

Interested in One of Our Facial Plastic Surgery Treatments?

Our cosmetic plastic surgeons provide high quality surgical treatments that are customised to the specific needs of our patients. Patients are generally pleased with the results of their facial rejuvenation procedure. Please contact Silkwood Medical in Sydney to learn more about chin or cheek implants, ear surgery, or another facial procedure offered at our practice.