Cheek augmentation in Islamabad with Dr. Umbreen Munir Minhas adds lasting projection to flat cheekbones or a hollow midface, so the face looks lifted and well supported.
Medically reviewed by Dr. Umbreen Munir Minhas, MBBS, FCPS (Plastic Surgery). Last updated October 2026.
Cheek augmentation, also called malar augmentation, builds up the cheekbone or mid-cheek with a solid implant or your own fat. It is surgery, unlike temporary filler.
Surgeons aim to restore the ogee curve, the soft double S that runs from the outer brow over the cheekbone and into the mid-cheek.
Some people are born with low or flat cheekbones. The middle of the face looks wide and flat from the front, and the eyes can seem to sit deeper than they do.
The hollow below the cheekbone deepens in slim people and after weight loss. It casts a shadow that makes the face look gaunt, tired or older than its age.
With age, the cheek fat pad slides down. The cheek flattens, a groove appears under the eye and the fold beside the nose deepens, all from the same change.
A cheekbone fracture or a difference from birth can leave one side flatter. Building up the lower side brings both cheeks closer to a matching height.
The implant sits directly on the cheekbone and adds height and width. It suits flat cheekbones and gives the high, sculpted look many patients ask for.
This implant sits just below the cheekbone to fill a sunken mid-cheek. It suits a gaunt face where the bone itself has good height.
One implant covers both the cheekbone and the hollow below it. It suits faces that are flat on the bone and hollow beneath it.
Your own fat is injected over the cheekbone for a softer, smaller change. Part of it is absorbed. Read about fat grafting
The cheekbones catch light again and the midface looks supported rather than flat. The change is visible from the front and in three-quarter view. Photos below are shared with patient consent.
Illustrative images. See Dr. Umbreen’s patient results in the before and after gallery.
Dr. Umbreen feels your cheekbones and studies your face from the front and at an angle. She checks whether the problem is bone, fat loss or both before choosing an implant shape.
Have any gum or tooth infection treated first. Stop smoking 4 to 6 weeks before surgery, and stop aspirin and herbal supplements 2 weeks before.
The cut is made inside the upper lip near the gum, so no scar shows on the face. It is done under general anesthesia and takes about 1 to 2 hours.
Most patients go home the same day or the next morning. Light tape on the cheeks helps hold the implants in place while early swelling settles.
| Time After Surgery | What to Expect |
|---|---|
| Days 1 to 2 | Swelling and tightness are strongest. Stick to a liquid diet. |
| Days 5 to 10 | Stitches inside the mouth are removed or dissolve. |
| About 1 week | Most people return to work and normal daily activity. |
| Weeks 4 to 6 | Vigorous exercise and contact sports can restart. |
Sleep with your head raised at about 45 degrees for at least a week. Eat soft food for up to 10 days and rinse your mouth after every meal.
A 2025 review of 4,273 facial implant patients found an overall complication rate of 4.4%. Dr. Umbreen explains every risk before you sign consent.
It does not lift loose, hanging skin or jowls, which need a facelift. Dark circles caused by pigment also stay, because they sit in the skin, not under it.
Your fee is confirmed after consultation, once the implant type or fat plan is chosen. Ask for one written estimate covering surgeon, anesthesia and hospital.
| Factor | How It Affects Your Fee |
|---|---|
| Method | Fat grafting costs less than implant surgery. |
| Implant type | Custom or combined implants cost more than standard malar shapes. |
| Anesthesia | General anesthesia adds to the total. |
| Combined surgery | Adding a facelift or eyelid surgery changes the fee. |
Ask whether the quote includes the cheek implants themselves, as some clinics list them apart from the surgeon’s fee.
Facial reconstruction and fat grafting are both listed on her public profile, so she can offer an implant or your own tissue depending on what suits you. As a female surgeon, she favours soft, feminine cheek shapes.
Cheek filler is a firm hyaluronic acid gel injected over the cheekbone in a short clinic visit.
| Feature | Cheek Augmentation | Cheek Filler |
|---|---|---|
| Suited to | Marked flatness or a lasting change | Mild flatness or a first trial |
| How it works | Implant or fat placed surgically | Gel injected through a needle or cannula |
| How long it lasts | Long term | About 12 to 24 months |
| Adjustable? | Needs a further operation | Easy to add more or dissolve |
| Cost pattern | One higher fee | Lower fee, repeated |
Filler is a useful way to test how cheek enhancement looks on your face before choosing a lasting option.
Dr. Umbreen sees patients privately at Omer Diagnostic & Specialist Clinics (ODC), 12-A, LG Floor, CBC Plaza, G-8 Markaz, Islamabad, Monday to Friday, 3:00 to 5:00 PM.
Bring front and three-quarter photos without makeup, and an older photo if your cheeks were once fuller.
Most patients feel pressure and tightness rather than sharp pain. Opening the mouth wide is uncomfortable for a few days, and prescribed painkillers usually control it.
Implants stay in place long term, and surviving fat behaves like normal fat. The skin over them still ages, so the face changes slowly around the result.
No. The implant sits on the bone under muscle and fat. Its edges are shaped thin so they blend in, and it moves with your face, not separately.
Yes. Silicone implants can be removed or exchanged for a different size through the same cut inside the mouth. The cheek then returns close to its earlier shape.
Yes. Men usually suit a wider, flatter cheekbone rather than a high, round one. Implant shape and size are chosen to keep the face masculine.
Yes. A facelift lifts sagging skin and tissue, while cheek augmentation rebuilds the support underneath. Done in one session, they give a fuller, more natural result than either alone.
Patient guides on face surgery from Dr. Umbreen’s blog.
A thread lift and a facelift are two distinct cosmetic procedures designed to address aging skin, but they differ significantly in methodology, invasiveness, and results. While a traditional facelift involves surgical intervention to lift and tighten facial tissues, a thread
Lip fillers and cheek fillers are two distinct cosmetic treatments designed to enhance different facial features, yet they serve different purposes in facial aesthetics. While both use dermal fillers to add volume and improve contours, the areas they target, the
The Evolution of the Facelift spans more than a century, moving from a simple skin pull performed in 1901 to the precise, structure based deep plane technique used by skilled surgeons today. Understanding this history matters because it explains why
