With advancing age, the production of both collagen and elastin gradually declines. This often leads to loss of volume as well as reduced fullness in the middle part of your face. As a result, hollow cheeks may become more prominent.

This age-related condition is characterized by a loss of facial volume in the cheek area, which makes your cheeks appear sunken. While it is a natural part of the ageing process, hollow cheeks can be quite a nuisance, it can also negatively affect your self-esteem. Fortunately, there are non-surgical options like dermal fillers that you may consider to restore the lost volume and fullness in your cheeks. You may also consider surgical solutions like facial surgery.

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Causes of Hollow Cheeks

Hollow cheeks can be caused by the following:

Ageing
Dehydration
Heavy tobacco consumption
Lifestyle
Low body fat percentage
Malnutrition

How to Reduce the effects of Hollow Cheeks

To prevent or reduce your hollow cheeks, you should:

Eat foods rich in antioxidants.
Have 6-8 hours of sleep every night.
Limit your alcohol consumption.
Limit your exposure to the sun.
Perform facial exercises to tone up your facial muscles.
Stay hydrated by drinking 2-3 litres of water or fluids per day.
Stay within the ideal weight.
Stop smoking.
Use moisturizers and non-irritating skincare products.

If you prefer immediate and long-lasting results, dermal fillers could be your best choice. Dermal fillers can greatly boost the appearance of your cheeks by restoring their lost volume and fullness.

Treatment for Hollow Cheeks

Dermal fillers are one of the best ways to restore the plumpness of your cheeks. The procedure lasts for no more than an hour, it also offers no downtime which means you can immediately go back to your daily activities. With only mild bruising and swelling as the side effects, this treatment is considered both safe and effective.

After the treatment, you will immediately see some improvements in the appearance of your cheeks. The fillers will continue to settle until the final results are visible. The results can last from 6 months up to 2 years depending on the type of filler used.

Dermal fillers are considered minimally invasive because it only involves injecting the fillers to the treatment area/s without the need for surgical incisions. Over time, the fillers will be naturally metabolized by the body so follow-up treatments will be needed in order to maintain the results.

Benefits of Dermal Fillers

This treatment offers the following benefits:

Promotes youthful appearance
Restores the lost volume of your cheeks
Improves the symmetry of your face
Lifts your cheeks
Doesn’t require any cuts or stitches
Involves minimal risks and side effects

What to expect after Dermal Fillers

After the procedure, you can expect minor tenderness, bruising, redness, and swelling around the treated areas. These side effects are common but will naturally subside within a week. In most cases, significant results are visible a week or two following the procedure. The type of product and the amount of filler injected will affect both the quality and the duration of the results.

Recovery after Dermal Fillers

You can expect to continue your daily activities right after the procedure. However, you will still need to avoid strenuous activities during the first week of your recovery. This will allow the fillers to settle in your skin and lowers the risk of complications or undesired clinical outcomes.

FAQS about Hollow Cheeks

What does hollow cheeks mean?

Hollow cheeks refer to the loss of tissue in your cheeks (the area between the bony part under your eyes and your lower jaw).
It is commonly caused by age-related fat loss. However, other conditions such as malnourishment and low body fat percentage can also cause sunken cheeks.

How do you fill out hollow cheeks naturally?

One of the best ways to address sunken cheeks naturally is to increase your body fat percentage.
Increasing your weight will help fill out the sunken areas in your cheeks with fat, making them plumper. However, this is not ideal for a lot of people.

What is the best filler for hollow cheeks?

The best filler for this condition is one that contains a substance that is naturally produced by the body Hyaluronic Acid.
It is associated with a lower risk of complications and long-lasting results (up to 2 years). However, it is important to keep in mind that the best filler will greatly depend on your skin condition, as well as, the results you want to achieve.

When should dermal filler not be used?

Dermal fillers are safe and effective if you have good overall health. However, dermal fillers should not be used if you have a history of a severe allergy to the filler or any of its ingredients.
It is also not recommended if you have bleeding or clotting disorders and unrealistic expectations.
Furthermore, if you are breastfeeding or pregnant you should wait to undergo treatment.

At what age does your face change most?

As you age, your body’s collagen production declines. Thus, significant changes in the appearance of your face will start to appear in your mid-30s.
This will eventually continue to worsen as you age.
These natural changes include the appearance of wrinkles, fine lines, and loss of volume. However, even at a younger age, there is a possibility that your face may change depending on your lifestyle and genes.

Can braces fix sunken cheeks?

An overbite, a condition in which the top teeth stick out far beyond the lower teeth, can affect the appearance of your cheeks.
It causes your cheeks to appear weak or sunken. Fortunately, using braces to align your bite can improve the appearance of your cheeks by creating a stronger chin and jawline.
This kind of orthodontic treatment also improves your smile and gives you a stable and functional bite.

Can stress cause sunken cheeks?

Yes, it is possible to have sunken cheeks if you experience high volumes of stressful situations.
If it is affecting your sleep, eating habits, and physical activity, there is a high chance that you will lose a significant amount of weight, resulting in sunken cheeks.

How can I hide my sunken cheeks?

If you want to temporarily improve the appearance of your sunken cheeks, you may try using makeup.

How can I improve my cheekbones?

Naturally, there are ways to improve the appearance of your cheekbones such as drinking a lot of water, going on a healthy diet, taking supplements, and doing facial exercises.
You can opt for surgical procedures to drastically enhance your cheekbones such as fat grafting or cheek implants, however, if you prefer a minimally invasive procedure, you may consider dermal fillers.

How do you fix sunken eyes?

If the cause of sunken eyes is sleep deprivation, having a fixed sleeping schedule and staying hydrated is enough to address this. However, if it is caused by a medical condition or allergy, taking medications is necessary to cure the root of sunken eyes.
Having cosmetic surgery is also an option but it requires a longer recovery time.
If you prefer a non-surgical option, dermal fillers can help add volume and fullness to the hollow areas under your eyes.

What foods make your face fat?

It is somehow difficult to just make your face fat. You need to gain weight all over your body to distribute fat on your face too. So, here are some healthy foods that can make your body and face fat:
- Avocados
- Potatoes
- Red meat
- Protein smoothies
- Milk
- Pasta

At what age do you start to look old?

Ageing is a natural process that happens to everyone.
How early you will look old will depend on several factors such as your genes, lifestyle, environment, and diet. In general, at the start of your mid-thirties, fine lines and wrinkles may start to appear. With advancing age, you may notice that these skin concerns start to become more prominent.

Can straight teeth change your face?

Yes, straight teeth change your face in terms of its shape.
As you grow older, your teeth also lose their volume. It gets flatter and shorter with regular chewing which means the support that the teeth and jaw give to your cheeks and lips will be lesser. As a result, the smile you make becomes narrow. This causes your cheeks to become hollow and the skin around your lips to curl in or flatten. Hence, the straighter your teeth are, the better the shape of your face.

What makes a face look younger?

Cosmetics and facial treatments are temporary ways to look younger.
In order to maintain the youthful state of your skin for a long time, you should start to eat nutritious foods and live a healthy lifestyle.
Having a good skincare routine such as using sunscreen and other natural products on your skin can also produce rejuvenating effects.
Taking vitamin C and collagen supplements can also make your face brighter and healthier.
If you are tight on budget, you can try more natural ways – getting enough sleep, staying hydrated, reducing alcohol intake, avoiding smoking, exercising daily, and eating healthy foods.

Why is my face getting skinny?

There are many possible causes why your face is getting skinny. The most common cause of this condition is old age. As you get older, your face loses its fat and elasticity.
This produces an angular appearance which makes your face skinny.
Another reason might be your lifestyle.
Habits such as not wearing sunscreen, not getting enough sleep, smoking, or not eating a balanced diet, can have detrimental effects on your skin as well as your overall health.
In addition, serious medical conditions such as cancer, eating disorders, digestive problems, and depression may also lead to a skinny face.

How can I fix my flat cheeks?

For faster results, you may opt to have dermal fillers.
It is a procedure where gels or natural substances are injected beneath your skin to restore the lost volume and smooth out the wrinkles in the area. It is a good way to test how your cheeks are going to look like if you want to undergo implants or fat grafting.
If you want long-lasting results, you can choose fat grafting, a surgical procedure where fat is harvested from other parts of your body and is injected into your cheeks.
If you want to achieve permanent results, you may opt for cheek implants. During this procedure, the implants are inserted into your cheeks to enhance your cheekbones and make them look fuller.
- You may choose between silicone implants or other implants that may integrate with your natural bone tissue and eventually become part of your cheek structure.
If you prefer a non-surgical solution to your flat cheeks, dermal fillers are a great way to address this problem. By injecting fillers into the sunken areas of your cheeks, you can notice an immediate improvement in the volume and fullness of the area.

How do you fake cheekbones?

The easiest way to fake your cheekbones is through makeup.
Contouring your cheeks will make an illusion of a better or high cheekbone depending on the shape of your face.

Can you reverse the effects of dermal fillers on hollow cheeks?

There are several reasons you may wish to reverse the effects of dermal fillers on your hollow cheeks. These include the following:
- The filler did not achieve your desired outcome or you are disappointed with the results.
- Filler is placed incorrectly, resulting in unnatural-looking results.
- You have lumps or bumps on your face.
- The filler is injected too close to an artery, affecting the blood supply in the area.

The good news is that the effects of dermal fillers can be reversed. Most modern dermal fillers are composed primarily of a naturally-occurring substance in your body that helps to keep your skin plump and hydrated. This substance also helps boost the production of collagen and elastin. In cases where dermal fillers did not achieve your desired results or produced complications, a reversal agent (a naturally-occurring enzyme in your body) can be injected into the treated area to dissolve the filler. Interestingly, this agent reverses the effects of the filler without causing harm to your skin surface or surrounding structures. If you don’t want to receive the reversal agent, you may consider waiting for 6 to 12 months until the effects of the filler completely wear off.

What are Hollow Cheeks? – Causes and Treatments