Malar Midface Reduction Surgery: Making a Wide Face Smaller and More Defined

Many people worry about having a wide or large-looking face. In particular, if the cheekbone area is prominent, the width of the face can appear even wider. At O.N Clinic, we offer "Malar Midface Reduction Surgery" to address these concerns, improving the overall facial proportions and creating a smaller, more defined facial line. Beyond simply reducing bone, a delicate approach that finds the golden ratio of the face is important.

Root Analysis of a Wide Face and Large-Looking Head

During Consultation, the patient expressed concerns about a wide face and a head that appeared unusually large. In particular, the cheekbone area on the right side of the face was more developed, creating an asymmetrical impression. Dr. Oh Myung-jun meticulously analyzed the patient's skeletal structure through visual examination and a 3D CT Scan.

"Your head looks large. Especially the right side. I'll try to make it look as small as possible. Of course, your head won't actually shrink. But after the Surgery, your head will visually appear smaller. That's because your cheekbones are wider than your head right now." — Dr. Oh Myung-jun

Dr. Oh explained that rather than the actual size of the patient's head, there was a visual illusion where the cheekbones protruded wider than the head, making the face appear even larger. Based on this analysis, the focus was on effectively reducing the cheekbones and adjusting the length of the midface to balance the overall facial features.

O.N Clinic's Unique Malar Midface Reduction Surgery Principle

O.N Clinic's Malar Midface Reduction Surgery is not just about shaving down the cheekbones; it's a complex approach that reduces the length and narrows the width of the midface, the central part of the face. The key is to precisely adjust the position of the cheekbones to reduce the width of the face and enhance the volume of the front cheekbones to add definition.

• Precise Bone Osteotomy: Precisely osteotomize specific parts of the prominent cheekbones.
• Inward and Upward Movement: The osteotomized bone is pushed inward to reduce the width of the face, and simultaneously moved upward to visually shorten the length of the midface.
• Firm Fixation: The moved bone is securely fixed using special plates and screws to prevent recurrence and maintain Natural Results.

"I will remove the marked bone and lift the lower bone upwards." — Dr. Oh Myung-jun

Through this process, both the horizontal width and vertical length of the face are improved, creating an overall smaller and more harmonious face.

Post-Surgery Changes: Visual Improvement and Impression Transformation

After the Surgery, the patient's face showed remarkable changes. The midface, which appeared wide before the Surgery, significantly reduced, and the width of the face narrowed, transforming into an overall slimmer and softer impression. In particular, the patient expressed satisfaction, mentioning that their eyes appeared larger and their chin seemed shorter.

• Reduced facial width and creation of a slimmer line
• Enhanced youthful effect due to shortened midface length
• Relative enlargement and clarity of eyes and facial features
• Transformation into an overall softer and more refined impression

"Your eyes look bigger, don't they? It's because the proportions have improved, making them visually appear larger." — Dr. Oh Myung-jun

This is not merely the effect of swelling subsiding, but a visual effect that appears as the facial proportions are ideally improved. As the midface shortens and the cheekbones return to their proper position, the facial features become more prominent.

O.N Clinic's Approach for Safe Surgery Without Sagging Cheeks

Many people worry about sagging cheeks after cheekbone Surgery. At O.N Clinic, we make the following efforts to minimize such sagging and ensure safe results.

• Simultaneous Lifting of Retaining Ligaments: When moving the cheekbones, the retaining ligaments that support the skin and tissues are lifted together, actively preventing potential sagging after Surgery.
• Systematic Post-Operative Care: After observing the progress for about 3 months, if necessary, high-frequency/ultrasound Lifting Treatment such as Ultherapy or Thermage can be used to enhance skin elasticity and induce contraction, completing a more taut and smooth facial line.

"There is no sagging of the cheeks. That's because when we lift the bone, we lift the retaining ligaments together. But the problem is that the skin needs to be tightened. So, after about 3 months, when I check the progress of the Surgery, I will tell you that the skin needs to be tightened with Ultherapy, Thermage, etc." — Dr. Oh Myung-jun

Amazing Changes Confirmed with 3D CT: Before & After

The before-and-after comparison through 3D CT Scan clearly shows the dramatic changes of the Surgery. It can be confirmed that the prominent cheekbones before the Surgery have moved deep inward, significantly reducing the width of the face, and the length of the midface has shortened. In particular, in the CT image viewed from bottom to top, the cheekbones have moved inward, and the 'space has completely disappeared,' which is impressive.

"You see the midface length has shortened, right? The bone that was here has moved all the way inside. The space has completely disappeared, hasn't it? Yes, that's right. The space is gone. People with large heads must reduce the space. So you can see that the face has become smaller than the head in the temple area, right? Will the face become much smaller than it is now? Much smaller. Much!" — Dr. Oh Myung-jun

These changes in bone structure lead to amazing results that go beyond mere numerical reduction, improving the overall facial proportions and impression. As time passes after the Surgery, and the swelling completely subsides and the skin adheres more closely to the bone, the face can become much smaller than it is now, achieving Natural Results. O.N Clinic continuously researches and strives to provide the most harmonious changes for each individual patient's face.

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O.N Clinic | Last reviewed 2026-05-23