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Cheekbone: dynamic and anti-aging structure of the midface?

  • Master Class in Plastic Surgery
  • Published:
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Abstract

The cheekbone is not only a static structure but has also a dynamic function. The muscles responsible for its motions are generally ignored or poorly known because they have a tendency to disappear with aging. When present and trophic, they form recognized muscles such as the malaris muscle in the mid-cheek and the risorius muscle in the flabby cheek. These muscles enhance the muscular part of the superficial musculo-aponeurotic system (SMAS) and this has a dynamic effect on the cheek, e.g. the dimple. This article will attempt to demonstrate that the cheekbone could also be the dynamic consequence of a SMAS which is more muscular than aponeurotic, due to an involuntary mechanism whose neurological control is unconscious. Thanks to this, the cheekbone could have an anti-aging effect, since it determines the position of the mid-cheek. The malar bone is well-developed in African and Asian people, but is usually not so marked in Caucasians, although the malar prominence is generally considered to be a sign of youth and beauty. The classic Hellenic appearance shows this perfectly.

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Acknowledgments

I wish to thank the Department of Cell Biology and Morphology of Lausanne University, especially Prof. J.P. Hornung for his help.

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  1. , Rue de Lausanne 20, Sion, 1950, Switzerland

    Jacques Zufferey

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  1. Jacques Zufferey
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Correspondence to Jacques Zufferey.

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Zufferey, J. Cheekbone: dynamic and anti-aging structure of the midface?. Eur J Plast Surg 27, 359–366 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00238-004-0689-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00238-004-0689-8

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