Dermal filler treatments are minimally invasive solutions to volume loss and skin laxity. Aside from that, it may even be used as an effective acne treatment. Over time, it has proven to be a safe, painless, and effective way to reduce signs of aging and enhance facial features. Among its target areas in the face are the cheeks.
So are dermal fillers effective for use in the cheek area? Dermal fillers add cheek volume, which can either make the cheek area appear plumper and smoother or it can also enhance the contours of the cheeks. To know which among the several kinds of dermal filler ingredients are suitable for your beauty goals, consult with a qualified aesthetic provider.
Dermal Fillers for Cheeks: What You Need to Know
A plump and well-defined cheek area isn’t common for everyone, and even for those who were born with these features, these aren’t intended to last forever. Aging and other lifestyle factors may contribute to the decline of collagen production responsible for a fuller and younger appearance of the face. This may cause the appearance of a sunken cheek. However, you don’t have to always put up with the visible signs of skin aging on your face.
There are many ways that you can rejuvenate your skin on the face and achieve a youthful look, one of which is through dermal filler treatments. Furthermore, dermal filler treatments for the cheeks have the following benefits:
- Restore volume on both cheeks
- Smoothen out wrinkled areas and facial folds
- Eliminate each fine line
- Enhance facial features for individuals with naturally thin cheeks
- Little to no downtime, fast recovery period
- Instant and long-term results without the risks and side effects of cosmetic surgery alternatives
But note that there are still certain limits to what dermal fillers can help you achieve. Other alternatives may be recommended for more effective visible results. Additionally, cheek filler treatments can also be combined with other injectable treatments in the face.
Carefully choose an aesthetic provider who will provide you with a personalized treatment plan that best suits your needs. This depends on the extent of facial volume loss and wrinkles in the cheek area.
For the best treatment plans to achieve your beauty goals, consult with a qualified and experienced aesthetic provider.
How Cheek Dermal Fillers Are Done
Cheek filler treatment is usually an in-office procedure, but that’s not to say that it can simply be done abruptly. Before having cheek fillers, patients are required to undergo a consultation with an aesthetic doctor first to review their medical and aesthetic needs to evaluate if they are a suitable candidate for this treatment option.
This consultation involves the careful creation of the treatment plan, with full consideration of the medical history of the patient as well as the aesthetic goals that they’d want to achieve. A dermal filler substance, dermal filler dosage, and, if applicable, other treatments will then be recommended in your treatment plan.
The procedure usually takes less than an hour to be administered. Initially, a numbing cream would be applied around the injection site in the cheeks to reduce pain and discomfort during the injection procedure. Then, the injectable filler will be administered up to enough filler dosage to achieve the desired contour and volume in the cheek area.
Who Can Have Cheek Dermal Fillers
Before proceeding with the cheek filler procedure, an aesthetic doctor usually evaluates the eligibility of an individual for this dermal filler treatment option. Cheek fillers are generally safe and minimally invasive so there are only a few criteria that they have to meet for them to pass as a candidate for the treatment.
It’s important to keep in mind that there are limits to the beauty goals that you can achieve with dermal fillers. Consequently, the cheek filler procedure may also be an insufficient resolution to some of your aesthetic issues.
For example, if you’re looking into reducing the volume of your cheeks, then cheek fillers may not be the best solution for you. Similarly, this may also not be applicable to cases of severe facial wrinkles on the cheek. Dermal filler alternatives may be more suited to address cases of severe facial wrinkles.
If an individual has the following conditions, then they may not be eligible to undergo cheek filler treatments:
- History of allergic reactions resulting in breathing and swallowing difficulty
- Bleeding and clotting disorder
- Signs of skin infection in the cheek area
- Acne around the cheek area.
Consequently, cheek filler treatments aren’t recommended for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding. If a patient has any plans to undergo plastic surgery and other cosmetic procedures in the near future that may affect the cheek filler results, they’re also not recommended to undergo cheek filler treatments.
Furthermore, some people may not be eligible for dermal filler treatments if they have a history of allergic reactions to the following substances:
- Dermal filler substances
- Other dermal filler ingredients
- Lidocaine
Best Dermal Filler For Lifting And Dermal Fillers For Fuller Face
There are many kinds of dermal filler substances which can be used in the face. What’s best for your beauty goals depends on what aesthetic providers recommend in the treatment plan. These dermal filler substances for the face include:
- Hyaluronic acid (HA). Hyaluronic acid fillers include Juvéderm Voluma XC, Juvéderm Ultra, Restylane Silk, Restylane Lyft, and Restylane Refyne. HA filler treatments naturally lift and define cheek features. The cheek augmentation results may be temporary, but it means that possible adverse effects on the face may also be temporary. This is the most commonly used and recommended dermal filler injection for cheek enhancement.
- Calcium Hydroxyapatite. Radiesse facial fillers contain calcium hydroxyapatite, which is good for shaping and adding contour to the cheek for a period longer than HA fillers.
- Poly-L Lactic Acid. Sculptra Aesthetic dermal filler injections, a kind of injectable filler that contains poly-L lactic acid, also provide a long-lasting solution to issues in the cheek area. Compared to other filler treatments, its results appear gradually over time in the face.
On the other hand, polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) is a substance that may be included in the different kinds of dermal filler injection substances mentioned above. This allows the longevity and effectiveness of the filler treatment as it builds a matrix responsible for stimulating new collagen production even after the collagen from the filler injection has been metabolized by the body.
Dermal Cheek Filler Ideal Placement
Using a long 22-gauge cannula, cheek fillers are usually placed lateral to the nasolabial fat in the deep medial cheek fat in a fanning technique. This replenishes the lost facial volume, enhances the midface, and smooths the transition between the lower lid and the cheek.
Using the same equipment, the dermal cheek filler injection is injected above the cheekbones for a strong definition. Moreover, the following are the danger zones where cheek fillers shouldn’t be injected:
- Glabellar area
- Temporal region
- Nasal area
- Nasolabial fold area
- Lip and perioral area
- Infraorbital area
Dermal Filler Results for Cheeks
Results are usually noticeable after the treatment, but it usually takes 2 weeks for the cheek filler treatment to settle and for the results of the procedure to be fully visible.
Depending on the kind of dermal filler substance that your doctor has recommended for you, the results of cheek filler treatments may last for about 6 months up to several years. Summarized in the table below are estimates of the dates to which cheek filler treatments are expected to wear off:
| Dermal Filler Substances | How Long They Last |
| Hyaluronic Acid | 6 to 12 months |
| Calcium Hydroxyapatite | 15 months |
| Poly-L Lactic Acid | 5 years |
| Polymethylmethacrylate | 5 years |
Risk And Side Effects Of Dermal Fillers For Cheeks
Similar to other facial filler treatments, there are still expected side effects of cheek filler treatments. Going to a qualified healthcare provider helps to minimize the adverse effects and regulate it to a manageable level. After the dermal filler treatment, the following are the normal side effects that you may experience around the injection site/s:
- Bruising, swelling, tenderness
- Mild pain
- Redness
- Itchiness
- Hives or nodules
- Bleeding
It usually takes up to 2 weeks for the dermal filler injections to fully settle and for the injection site to recover. However, if the side effects mentioned above are still experienced after 2 weeks, consult with the aesthetic doctor that performed the cheek filler treatment for appropriate resolutions to such.
How To Make Cheek Dermal Fillers Last Longer
In general, cheek fillers are temporary. Choosing the right aesthetic doctor and dermal filler substance can help boost the longevity of the effect of these dermal fillers. In case the effect of cheek fillers eventually perish, you can always have it maintained and touched up with follow-up filler treatments.
Aftercare Instructions For Cheek Dermal Filler Treatments
The side effects of cheek filler treatments usually go away within a few days after the treatment. At most, it takes 2 weeks for the treatment area to recover. To speed up the recovery time, below are the following aftercare instructions for cheek filler treatments:
- Avoid putting makeup on for the next 24 hours
- Avoid touching the treatment area
- Avoid extreme temperatures
- Avoid disrupting the cheek filler by sleeping on your back
- Avoid strenuous exercise for at least 24 hours after the procedure
- Quit smoking to achieve maximum effectiveness of the cheek filler
Define Your Facial Contours With Cheek Dermal Fillers at Ethos Spa
Cheek filler treatment is a non-invasive enhancement solution to give your cheeks a more defined and fuller look using dermal filler substances. With dermal fillers, you can experience instant and reliable results. There are many types of dermal fillers which your dermatologist can choose from for the best filler injection suitable for you depending on your treatment plan.
For a natural and transformative aesthetic treatment that delivers quality results in eliminating facial folds, reducing the effect of smile lines, and improving the sunken cheek, Ethos Spa Skin and Laser Center is your best choice. Contact our aesthetic doctors today to schedule your initial consultation for your cheek filler and lip filler injections. We also offer other cosmetic procedure options such as laser treatments.
If you are looking to look and feel your best, our aesthetic treatment plans can help you achieve that goal. Schedule a consultation with us today.
