If there’s one treatment guaranteed to redefine the look of deflated cheeks to restore a youthful look to your face, hands down, it’s cheek fillers. Injecting the cheek area with dermal fillers can create naturally full-looking cheeks. With age, it’s normal for volume to be lost in this part of the face, giving way to a sunken, hollow, or flat look. But with a few strategically placed injections of the suitable dermal filler for you, you can quickly restore your to their youthful appearance with more defined angles.
Enhancing Your Cheeks with Fillers
Gone are the days of relying on permanent cheek implants to restore volume, definition, and shape to the cheeks; in their place are cheek fillers. This downtime-free, quick treatment uses popular dermal fillers to noninvasively refresh the cheek area and add back lost volume.
Cheek fillers work by replacing lost volume in the cheek area with hyaluronic acid or a bio-stimulatory filler, which helps to create a fuller, plumper look.
Naturally, the face, particularly the cheeks, loses collagen and elastin, in addition to volume, which results in fine lines and wrinkles on the cheeks while diminishing the look of under-eye hollows. Fillers are an effective solution for helping to smooth out the look of aging skin while restoring volume to the cheeks for a more youthful, defined appearance. Cheek fillers are also a good option for adding a more contoured look to naturally flat cheeks that have always been that way.
Treating the cheeks with filler can also help lift sagging cheeks, particularly in assumptions and the lower face. Precisely injecting the filler into critical areas of the cheek helps the face appear more balanced and in better harmony so that one cheek doesn’t look fuller or higher than the other. Along with improved symmetry, the definition is enhanced since filler can help add structure to the face.
The Details of a Cheek Filler Procedure
Cheek filler is a safe, quick, and relatively painless treatment. During the treatment, the cheek area is first assessed and mapped out so that the specific regions where the filler will be injected are noted. Then, if you need, we can apply topical numbing cream to help make the treatment more comfortable. However, almost all modern-day hyaluronic acid fillers contain lidocaine in the formation to numb the area with the first hit of products (that’s not the same for biostimulatory fillers like Sculptra and Radiesse).
Next, the filler is injected along the cheekbone, which gives a more natural look and helps add balance and definition to the cheeks. The higher up on the cheek we place the filler, the more contoured the cheeks can look. But if volume loss is the reason for your cheek filler, the injections may be more towards the more significant area of the cheek to help camouflage any hollowness.
The results of cheek filler with hyaluronic acid are noticeable immediately since the hyaluronic acid draws water to the area to plump up the cheeks. With biostimulatory fillers, there may be some initial definition, which will fade away quickly. Then, as the collagen-stimulating effects start to take place over the next few months, improvement in the cheeks can be seen.
In the days before cheek filler, it’s best to avoid taking aspirin or other over-the-counter pain medications, which can increase the risk of bruising and swelling. Also, skip working out for two to three days, which can cause swelling to increase. If you are prone to bruising, taking arnica or bromelain pills before and after the appointment can help.
On average, the results of cheek filler can last anywhere from six to 18 months, depending on the filler used, how much is injected, and the degree of aging. Some people naturally metabolize filler faster than others, so more frequent touch-ups may be needed. Regardless, cheek filler is a temporary treatment, and even though the results last a while, you’ll need to keep up with yearly injections if you want to maintain the look.
Common Questions About Cheek Fillers
Are cheek fillers safe?
Yes, cheek fillers are safe and routinely practiced treatments. However, like all other elective treatments and procedures, there are potential risks and side effects to know about, which include mild swelling, bruising, tenderness, and redness in the treated area. Usually, these symptoms are short-lived and subside on their own after a few days. If you are unhappy with how your cheek filler looks or feels, it can be dissolved using an enzyme known as hyaluronidase and restore your cheeks to baseline if hyaluronic acid fillers were used (not Sculptra or Radiesse, which are irreversible).
What happens if my cheek filler migrates?
Most of the time, the reason for migrating filler is either because it is placed too superficially on the cheek or too much product is used. If the filler moves from its original location, it can cause the cheeks to look lumpy, bumpy, dough-like, or weird. However, hyaluronidase can reverse the effects of migrated cheek filler as long as the filler is hyaluronic acid-based.
Can I combine cheek fillers with other cosmetic treatments?
Yes. Often, cheek fillers are done with other treatments to create a naturally balanced and aesthetically pleasing face. Dermal fillers in the cheek may also be injected into different areas of the face, like the lips or under the eyes, to achieve a holistic appearance. Other injectables, like Botox, may also be used to help smooth out stubborn lines and wrinkles.
