Fatty cheeks can improve looks.

• Position: Plastic Surgery - Brief article

Rejuvenating newly identified fat compartments in the facial cheeks can help reduce the hollowed look of the face as it ages, according to research by plastic surgeons at the University of Texas Medical Center, Dallas, who used special dyes to identity and map four cheek-fat compartments hidden deep beneath the skin. When these compartments are restored using fat, tissue fillers, or artificial implants, the result is a more youthful and less hollow look to the overall face, notes Joel Pessa, assistant professor of plastic surgery. Restoring these compartments also improves volume loss under the eyes, helps eliminate lines around the nose and mouth, and gives more curve to the upper lip.

"This research breaks new ground by identifying the boundaries of specific fat compartments that are key to facial rejuvenation involving the cheeks and, as a consequence, the overall look of the face," explains Pessa. "Cheeks are vital to what we consider...