Cheek Fillers: Everything You Need to Know

You’ve probably heard about lip fillers, popularized by celebs like Kylie Jenner and Kim Kardashian. While the lips are the most frequently injected feature, what you may not realize is that cheek fillers are just as popular among celebrities for their dramatic effects.

Cheek fillers are gaining popularity rapidly for their mostly pain-free, dramatic results, with basically no downtime. While there might be a little bit of swelling or bruising at the injection sites, you can go to work the next day without so much as a second glance (or maybe a few glances at your new flawless contoured cheekbones!) Cheek fillers can create that sculpted and contoured look without going under the knife, or even using any heavy makeup!

In this blog, we will cover everything from the benefits of cheek fillers, the downtime/side effects, cost, and more! So, keep reading!

Why would I want filler in my cheeks?

As we age, we naturally lose volume in our cheeks, which can result in a “hollowed” look, where the plump cheeks of our youth begin to lose volume and hollow as we make less collagen. Fillers can help restore that volume and the youthful look associated with full cheeks.

If you aren’t concerned so much with volume loss due to aging but want to add some height and contour low or barely visible cheekbones, fillers will do the trick. By adding volume to the cheekbones, it creates a lifting and slimming effect to the face. Some people refer to this as the “inverted V.”

No more heavy foundation, and you can ditch that contour kit! 

Cheek filler can add height and drama to your cheekbone structure or, more subtly, even out the points of your face for a more symmetrical look that can bring balance to your facial features. 

Why are “high cheekbones” more desirable than low ones?

Your cheekbones are part of the structure of your face—specifically the malar bones—that sit beneath our eyes. If your malar bones happen to sit closer to the eye as opposed to the middle of the face, closer to the bottom of your nose, you most likely have the appearance of high cheekbones. Whether your cheekbones sit high or low doesn’t say much about you—our western culture happens just to value high cheekbones more than low at this particular moment in time. While we as individuals are not able to control the conventional standards of beauty, with dermal fillers, we can easily manipulate and enhance what we were born with to feel our best.

Benefits of cheek fillers

In younger people, adding volume to your cheekbones can help to balance various face shapes to provide more of a contoured look. Cheek filler can also enhance the overall look of your face by adding volume as well as structure to create defined cheekbones – which are always beautiful! 

As we age, we lose volume in our faces. The cheek area is often one of the first areas people notice the effects of volume loss. Dermal fillers can increase the volume and definition of these areas, as well as help smooth out the texture of the skin.

Cheek filler also helps with the appearance of the lower face. One of the most common concerns people have is the appearance of nasolabial lines – the lines from the bottom of your nose to the side of your lip. These occur when the volume of the face shifts forward and downward with age. Oh, gravity! Unfortunately, these lines can make a person appear older and more tired. Previously, injectors would all filler directly to these lines to smooth them out (and we still do in some cases). However, the best approach to correct these lines is actually by adding a structured dermal filler in the cheek and cheekbone area, which creates a lifted appearance. We can use dermal fillers to “pin-up” the cheekbones, which therefore softens the nasolabial lines and give a more rejuvenated appearance.

How long do cheek fillers last?

Cheek fillers will endure a bit longer than lip injections because they are injected in an area that we don’t move around as much as the lips. In the cheekbones, the filler will take anywhere between 12 and 14 months to completely reabsorb into the body. And the more often you “top up” your filler, the longer the results tend to last—up to 2 years for some patients.

While the results are long-lasting, cheek filler can easily be dissolved if you are not happy with the results or if change your mind. You simply need to return to the clinic, and a substance called hyaluronidase will be injected into the original site, which will dissolve the filler immediately. So no need to worry about being stuck with something you aren’t happy with.

How much do cheek fillers cost?

The cost of cheek fillers will depend on the outcome you are looking for. One syringe of cheek filler at our clinic costs $625, which includes your assessment, numbing cream, and the injections themselves by an experienced doctor. We use Restylane Lyft or Restylane Contour, which are ideal for creating definition, structure, and volume in the cheeks.

For some, one syringe might be enough to achieve the results you desire. If you are looking for a subtle boost for cheekbones, generally, one syringe of dermal filler will suffice. But for others who are looking to drastically pump up the volume in the cheeks—you may need 2 or 3. The dramatic results that are achievable with cheek fillers do come at a cost. Luckily, the results in the cheeks last longer than most injectable sites.

What to expect from your cheek filler treatment

A cheek injection procedure will take 30-40 minutes. At Onyx Integrative Medicine & Aesthetics, our experienced doctors will assess your face and decide on the best points for injection. It is so important to choose an injector who not only practices the highest of health and safety standards but who also understands the proportions of the face and will be able to enhance your features in a natural-looking way. 

We have all seen those overly plumped chipmunk cheeks and “cat lady” faces. At Onyx, you can rest assured that we would never let any of our patients go beyond what we think is aesthetically optimal. Treatment recommendations will vary from patient to patient, and we will take the time to individually assess your face and treat you based on your ideal outcome through the lens of our expertise. 

Our doctors are trained to understand the ideal facial proportions and will select the optimal points of the face where volume will be added.

A numbing cream will be administered, which will be patch-tested, as it is the only part of the procedure where an allergy could occur (The injected substance, hyaluronic acid, already occurs naturally in our bodies, and can thus be reabsorbed safely).

The results are immediate, so you can decide to stop after 1 syringe or add more if you desire even more dramatic results. 

Cheek Fillers: Summary

• Adding filler in the cheeks can completely alter the geometry of your face, highlighting bone structure and giving you those “killer cheekbones.” 
• Cheek filler can help balance out the other features on your face, which allows for dramatic results
• While the results and intents vary, cheek filler is for everyone, whether you are in your 20s or your 60s
• Cheek fillers use the hyaluronic acid, a substance already naturally occurring in our bodies, so there is virtually no chance for an allergic reaction
• Results are immediate, and there is little to no downtime