Question: How can I get good cheekbones?

DrA’s Answer: The cheekbone area is also called the malar area. The shape of this area is mostly controlled by the bone and to a lesser extent the soft tissue. Generally, the best approach to creating higher/fuller cheekbone area is to use an implant. Implants are the only thing that behave as though they are bone. Naturally, high cheekbones are made of bone, not soft tissue and implants look like bone both at rest and when making facial expressions. Implants are also the only treatment that is predictably permanent (but removable).

If surgery is not something you are willing to undertake, then soft tissue fillers made of hyaluronic acid (Juvederm and Restylane product lines and others) are the best choice. The HA fillers have a great safety profile and are the only injectable that can be dissolved at will. Soft tissue fillers, of course, behave like soft tissue and as such are not as natural (especially in larger amounts) as an implant. Fat transfer is also a soft tissue filler but one I don’t recommend. Fat does not behave like bone, it is difficult to predict how much (if any) survives the transfer. And most concerning is if you should gain weight in the future, whatever fat survived the transfer will fill out and could very well look bizarre. It is very difficult to reverse fat transfer if it takes in an unacceptable fashion.