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Temporal PEEK implants

Temporal PEEK implants

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How to Get Fuller Sleep with Custom PEEK Implants

Sunken temples give the forehead an hourglass-like, aged or masculine appearance. Something that many women find unattractive. Placing custom-made PEEK implants at the temples can be a good solution to make your facial contour appear fuller.

Temporal PEEK implants

Before-and-after temporal PEEK implants

What are 'PEEK' implants?

Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) is a synthetic material initially used in spine and hip surgery. It has the following properties:

  • biocompatibility;
  • resistance to thermal and ionizing radiation;
  • and biomechanical similarity to cortical bone.

These beneficial properties have led to an increased use of PEEK implants for craniofacial defects, which remain a major challenge in both reconstructive and aesthetic surgery.

Where are PEEK implants placed?

Having custom-made PEEK implants placed at the temples can make the face appear more oval by filling the hollow space at the temples. Placing the PEEK implants is usually combined with recontouring the forehead, because there is already access to the area where the implants are to be placed.

Temporal PEEK Implants - o2 Clinic

Preparation for the procedure

In preparation for the operation, a CT scan of the skull must be made. For specifications of the required CT scan, see here. Dr. van Nimmen will make you a proposal in collaboration with the manufacturer of the implants regarding the shape of the implants. You will receive the proposal by e-mail, so that you can see what the implants will look like. After we have received your approval, the implants will then be made.

Procedure

  • General anesthesia — General anesthesia is normally chosen for placement of the custom-made PEEK implants.
  • Incisions — Usually, an incision is made along the hairline. The incision is made as during a hairline lowering. If you have not opted for a hairline lowering, a better option is the so-called “bicoronal” incision (behind the hairline).
  • The forehead skin is pulled forward to expose the bone
  • The temporal muscle is released from the bone as necessary to place the implants. These are then fixed using titanium screws.
  • The skin is closed per layer as usual.

Recovery

  • Hospital — You will spend one night in the hospital after the operation.
  • Ache — Pain may occur for several days and can be controlled with normal painkillers.
  • Work — Many patients are able to return to work within two weeks of this surgery (as a standalone procedure).
  • Sport — Avoid any physical activity that increases your heart rate or causes you to sweat for eight days.
  • Stitches — Sutures are self-dissolving. They dissolve in about a week.
  • Numbness of forehead —Expect your forehead to be numb for about 3 months.

Complications

  • Altered sensation of the scalp—Because the skin is loosened from the bone during the procedure, the sensation in the scalp may change. In most patients, the feeling returns to normal within a year, but some patients indicate that the feeling is no longer 100% the same as before. Most do not experience this as a problem, but rather report it as an observation.
  • In theory, infection of the implants is possible, but so far this has never happened. In such a case, antibiotics would be administered. In the worst case, this does not stop the infection and the implants must be removed.