Because of the impressive advancement of biomedical technology, implants used on face reconstruction are very diverse nowadays. Other than traditional silicone implants well-known by vast majority, materials such as Goretex which is quite popular recently, or medpor that gradually replaces some of orthognathic surgery are silently changing the traditional perspective of cosmetic surgery. Also because of these diverse materials for surgeons to choose from, we can constantly create surgical effects reaching “face-off,” and agilely satisfy needs of different consumer cohorts.
To use implants of different materials and types just right, we have to understand the differences and pros and cons of these materials. The author will generally describe three major types of implants as followed:

1. Silicone implant:
It is the implants with the longest history in cosmetic surgery. The related products are very diverse. Other than commonly seen implants such as nasal implants and chin implants, there are other options such as cheek implants, frontal implants and lower jaw implants. It has advantages of easy installation, various sizes available and lower cost. The shortcomings are that it is not easy to be fixated, there can be displacement problems later, and that it is less capable of anti-infection.

2. Goretex：
Goretex is not only used in various daily goods, but also used often in the area of cosmetic surgery. Its appearance is originally white tissues. The surgeon can cut and composite depending situations. It is appropriate to apply to where requires simple filling without shaping, such as lateral nose. It has advantages of high degree of plasticity, and that it can be fully fit to tissues and displacement will hardly occur. The shortcomings are that it can not be relied on along to achieve shaping purpose, that it is costly, and that it is harder to take out later if necessary.

3. Medpor：
Medpor has been used in various cosmetic surgery by cosmetic surgeons. Its texture is hard as endoskeleton, and, just like silicone implants, it comes in many sizes and shapes for surgeons to choose from, such as chin implants, cheek implants and upper and lower jaw implants. The area it can be applied to is also quite broad. In addition, it is mostly designed according to the direction of the human skeleton so it works naturally after implantation. However, it has its own shortcomings: it requires a higher expense, needs to be fixated with bone nails, requires general anesthesia, and has a lower plasticity than the other two types of implants mentioned above.

From the above description, we can conclude appropriate facial areas for different types implant for face reshaping purpose:
1. Silicone implant: Nose, chin, cheeks, frontal bone, lower jaw
2. Goretex: Nose, eyebrow bone, nasolabial sulcus (known as nasolabial groove)
3. Medpor: Chin, cheeks, nasolabial sulcus and lower jaw

Areas where these implants are applied may overlap with each other. However, the responsibility of the plastic surgeon is to evaluate different reshaping needs for individual patients and to help them to choose the most appropriate materials for implantation. Then an outcome that satisfies both a patient and a surgeon can be achieved. The author will give two examples of successful cases using above mentioned implants in achievement of “face-off.”

Case one:
Other than modifying the wide face with Korean facial bone sculpture surgery, the patient receives Korean style rhinoplasty with Goretex. Medpor cushions the nasolabial groove to improve the misaligned upper jaw. Medpor is also used to cushion the chin, and hence the perfect ratio after face-off operation can be seen in the profile figure.

Case two:
The patient receives Goretex to cushion the eyebrow bone to look deep-eyed, silicone implants for rhinoplasty and medpor to cushion the chin, so as to avoid orthognathic surgery for lower jaw.
From the above two cases, simply inserting different types of implants can achieve the purpose of face reshaping, thus it is not absolutely necessary to achieve face reshaping by orthognathic surgery. More importantly, the recovery period of implantation operations are shorter than that of orthognathic surgery, and it also costs less for implantation operations. Moreover, use of implants in facial reshaping offers a chance to gradually change or change in progress to achieve the final ideal face shape. Only if the surgeon evaluation and design before surgery are appropriate, most of patients can obtain high degrees of satisfaction.