BACKGROUND: Oriental people usually have a wide midface and a prominent zygoma. Reduction malarplasty is one of the most frequently requested procedures for improvement of the facial contour in the Orient. Some methods involve coronal or preauricular incision for osteotomy, but this increases the likelihood of skin scars and injury to facial nerves, and increases the duration of surgery. Some methods involve an intraoral approach but cannot control the degree of reduction or the precision of interosseous fixation with the designed osteotomy lines. The authors designed an L-shaped osteotomy for malar prominence reduction through an intraoral approach to overcome these shortcomings. METHODS: The authors reviewed 418 patients who underwent an L-shaped osteotomy for malar reduction performed in their department between 1997 and 2007. Follow-up was from 6 to 60 months (average, 12 months). The authors analyzed the rate of complications and evaluated the therapeutic efficacy of their method. RESULTS: Four hundred two patients (96.2 percent) were satisfied. Only 16 patients (3.8 percent) with late complications were dissatisfied. Late postoperative complications focused mainly on asymmetry and cheek drooping. CONCLUSION: The new L-shaped osteotomy for correction of prominent zygoma is an ideal method, with the advantages of simpler manipulation, fewer complications, better outcome, shorter operative duration, no skin scars, and integrity of the structural characteristics of the zygoma.
BACKGROUND: Oriental people usually have a wide midface and a prominent zygoma. Reduction malarplasty is one of the most frequently requested procedures for improvement of the facial contour in the Orient. Some methods involve coronal or preauricular incision for osteotomy, but this increases the likelihood of skin scars and injury to facial nerves, and increases the duration of surgery. Some methods involve an intraoral approach but cannot control the degree of reduction or the precision of interosseous fixation with the designed osteotomy lines. The authors designed an L-shaped osteotomy for malar prominence reduction through an intraoral approach to overcome these shortcomings. METHODS: The authors reviewed 418 patients who underwent an L-shaped osteotomy for malar reduction performed in their department between 1997 and 2007. Follow-up was from 6 to 60 months (average, 12 months). The authors analyzed the rate of complications and evaluated the therapeutic efficacy of their method. RESULTS: Four hundred two patients (96.2 percent) were satisfied. Only 16 patients (3.8 percent) with late complications were dissatisfied. Late postoperative complications focused mainly on asymmetry and cheek drooping. CONCLUSION: The new L-shaped osteotomy for correction of prominent zygoma is an ideal method, with the advantages of simpler manipulation, fewer complications, better outcome, shorter operative duration, no skin scars, and integrity of the structural characteristics of the zygoma.