Midface Lift/Cheek Lift
The midface — the cheeks and the area beneath the eyes — is an important component of facial aesthetics. One of the first and most noticeable areas to show signs of aging. As we age the natural fat around the orbital area and cheeks, which provides a youthful fullness, begins to lose volume and descend. This creates hollows under the eyes and pronounced nasolabial folds (marionet or smile lines) and overall tired, aged appearance.
A cheek lift, also known as a midface lift, is a specialized surgical procedure designed to rejuvenate the face by repositioning descended tissue and restoring youthful contours. As an oculofacial plastic surgeon with focused expertise in the delicate structures surrounding the eyes and midface, Dr. Kahana performs cheek lift surgery with meticulous attention to both aesthetic outcomes and natural facial harmony.
Common concerns addressed by a cheek lift:
A midface lift can address these concerns by repositioning the fat and soft tissues of the cheek to their more youthful position, creating a refreshed, natural look, that is in harmony with your overall facial features.
Dr. Kahana focuses primarily on the mid and upper face and has extensive expertise in facial, orbital, and oculoplastic surgery. His experience in working with the delicate tissues surrounding the eye is an exceptional benefit to patients who might otherwise be considering a general plastic surgeon.
Dr. Kahana is committed to creating results that enhance his patients’ natural appearance and unique facial characteristics in a noticeable but entirely authentic manner. Restoring a more youthful, refreshed appearance.
Dr. Kahana will work with you to create a surgical and non-surgical plan to address all of your concerns with careful and highly customized care plan. If you have multiple areas of concern Dr. Kahana and his team can work with you to integrate complementary procedures such as blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery), a brow lift, or laser resurfacing. Our goal is to fully understand your goals and provide treatment and care for your unique needs.
The midface is a complex region comprised of multiple layers:
With age, several changes affect this region:
A successful and natural looking cheek lift addresses these underlying anatomical changes, not just the surface symptoms.
Dr. Kahana offers several advanced cheek lift techniques, carefully selecting the most appropriate approach based on your unique anatomy, degree of midface aging, and desired outcomes.
This technique combines cheek lift with lower eyelid surgery, utilizing the same incision to access and reposition the midface tissues. Dr. Kahana may employ one of several variations:
The Suborbicularis Oculi Fat (SOOF) lift addresses the distinct fat pad that sits beneath the eyelid muscle. Over time, this fat pad descends, creating a hollow appearance beneath the eyes and prominent nasolabial folds. Through a lower eyelid incision, Dr. Kahana repositions this important fat pad to its more youthful position, restoring volume to the under-eye area and upper cheek.
This technique is ideal for patients with prominent tear troughs and early to moderate cheek descent. The SOOF lift can be performed through either:
For patients with more significant midface aging, Dr. Kahana may recommend a subperiosteal approach. This technique involves working in the deeper plane beneath the periosteum (the covering of the facial bones), allowing for more substantial elevation of the midface tissues.
The subperiosteal approach provides powerful, long-lasting results and can address more pronounced midface sagging. Through carefully placed incisions, Dr. Kahana elevates the entire midface as a unit, repositioning it to restore youthful contours.
For some patients, Dr. Kahana may recommend an endoscopic approach, which utilizes small incisions hidden within the hairline and an endoscope (camera which uses a thin tube for moblity) to visualize and access the midface structures. This minimally invasive technique allows repositioning of descended tissues with precision and reduced scarring.
The endoscopic technique is often combined with temporal incisions to provide optimal access and control during the procedure. This approach is particularly beneficial for patients who want to avoid incisions around the eyes or who are having concurrent procedures such as a brow lift.
For patients with significant volume loss in addition to tissue descent, Dr. Kahana may recommend combining your cheek lift with strategic fat grafting. This gentle procedure involves harvesting a small amount of your own fat from another area of your body, purifying it, and then precisely injecting it to restore volume in depleted areas.
Fat grafting creates more comprehensive rejuvenation by addressing both the positioning and volume aspects of midface aging.
Your first step to a more youthful midface begins with a in-depth consultation with Dr. Kahana. During this visit, he will:
Dr. Kahana will take the time to ensure you have realistic expectations and a clear understanding of both the benefits and limitations of cheek lift surgery. Dr. Kahana will take the time to comprehensively understand your personal goals, unique health history, ethnicity and expectations.
Your cheek lift with Dr. Kahana will be performed as an outpatient procedure, typically using local anesthesia with sedation or general anesthesia, depending on the technique used and whether additional procedures are being performed. Here’s what you can expect on the day of your procedure:
Most cheek lift are approximately 1-2 hours to complete, possibly longer if you are having additional procedures performed simultaneously.
Our team will provide you with detailed, aftercare instructions. Following is a general timeline of what you can expect during your recovery:
Dr. Kahana and our team will monitor your recovery through follow-up appointments, teo ensu healing and results. We encourage you to contact our office with any questions or concerns during your recovery period.
Dr. Kahana prioritizes patient safety and performs all procedures with meticulous attention to detail. However, as with any surgical procedure, it’s important to understand potential risks. When discussing your procedure, Dr. Kahana will thoroughly review all possible complications specific to your case.
General considerations include:
Dr. Kahana’s specialized training in midface surgery and careful surgical planning helps minimize these risks. During your consultation, he will assess your individual risk factors and provide personalized information about how to achieve the safest possible outcome.
Following your recovery, you can expect to enjoy a refreshed, more youthful appearance that still looks naturally like you. Benefits typically include:
Dr. Kahana’s patients frequently comment that friends and colleagues notice they look more rested and refreshed without being able to pinpoint exactly what has changed. A testament of successful, natural-looking results.
Cheek lift results are long-lasting, with most patients enjoying their improved appearance for many years. While the natural aging process continues, your midface will continue look better than if you had never had the procedure.
A cheek lift with Dr. Kahana can help you achieve a more youthful, refreshed appearance that reflects how you feel inside. As a specialist in mid and upper facial plastic surgery, Dr. Kahana brings unique expertise to this procedure, focusing on natural-looking results that enhance your features while maintaining your distinctive appearance.
Whether performed as a standalone procedure or in combination with other facial rejuvenation treatments, a cheek lift can provide dramatic improvement to one of your face’s most defining features.
To learn more about how a cheek lift might benefit you, schedule a consultation with Dr. Kahana. During this personalized assessment, he’ll evaluate your concerns, discuss your goals, and develop a customized treatment plan designed to help you look your best.
Your journey toward a fresh, rejuvenated look begins with a private consultation with Dr. Kahana at Kahana Oculoplastic and Orbital Surgery.
To schedule your evaluation, please call 248-800-1177 or click the link below
