Possible Surgical Excision of Nasolabial Folds Tri Valley Plastic Surgery

I have prominent cheeks and have developed nasolabial folds. I don't want to have any fillers or injections, so I'm thinking of getting them surgically excised instead. Is this even possible?

Technique choices vs. the result you want

Thanks for your question. In my practice I always take time to discuss what my patients are truly concerned about. From your question, clearly there are questions in your mind about the balance of your cheeks, nose and the area that divides the two, your nasolabial folds. It can always be a bit challenging when a patient states "I want a certain result but this is the technique you need to use to achieve it." Placing significant unhidden scars on the face needs to be approached with caution. If your aversion to fillers is the temporary nature of the filler, then you could consider more permanent treatments like fat transfer or de-epithelialized dermis which works very well at achieving a permanent result while avoiding disfiguring scars. Excision natural folds, especially in the face, can be particularly difficult as the scars that are left can contract and will likely not have the soft natural curve your native naso-labial fold has. The excision would need to excise the deeper connective tissue in addition to the skin to decrease the depth of the fold (which would be replaced with scar). This can give a flattened appearance to the face with the added negative of having permanent visible scars. I would urge you to speak with a board certified plastic surgeon who should assess your entire facial structure and discuss options with you. I hope this helps. Steven Williams, MD