Cheek Filler After Weight Loss: Reviving Facial Radiance

How Dermal Fillers Restore and Enhance Facial Contours Following Dramatic Weight Loss

Losing a significant amount of weight can be life-changing. While the health benefits are immense, many experience cosmetic concerns about their facial appearance after dramatic weight loss. The volume and fullness in the face tend to diminish, leading to a gaunt, saggy, or aged look.

This is where dermal fillers come in. Injectable fillers help restore the youthful contours and bring back the radiance to the face post weight loss.

How Dermal Fillers Can Help

When we lose fat rapidly, it impacts our face along with the rest of the body. The cheeks often look more sunken and hollow. The skin may appear loose with more visible wrinkles. Lines and folds can look deeper and more pronounced.

These are all signs of facial volume loss and aging after substantial weight loss. Dermal fillers combat this volume loss effectively. The injectable gels replenish the lost facial fat and give structure back to the face. Expertly placed dermal filler injections can help:

• Lift sagging cheeks
• Reduce the appearance of wrinkles
• Soften laugh lines and wrinkles around the mouth
• Plump up sunken under-eye areas
• Define and contour the jawline
• Restore youthful fullness to the face

Facial fillers contain hyaluronic acid that integrates into the skin's deeper layers. This helps add volume where it has diminished. The results are natural looking with a rested, softer facial appearance.

The Science of Weight Loss and Facial Volume

To understand how weight loss affects our face, we must first comprehend the role of fat in facial contours. Subcutaneous fat pads in the cheeks, chin, forehead and around the eyes support the overlying soft tissues of the face. These fat compartments nourish the delicate collagen and elastin fibers in facial skin. They also provide shape and definition to facial features.

When we shed pounds quickly, these fat stores reduce rapidly. The rapid weight loss fails to allow the skin time to adjust. This leads to loose, inelastic skin with lost volume. The cheeks become sunken or flattened. The skin starts to sag and wrinkles begin to develop. Hollowness under the eyes and around the mouth adds to an overall gaunt appearance.

Without the fat cushion, the bony angles of the jaw and cheeks also become more prominent. This results in an aged, almost skeletal look in some cases of dramatic weight loss. The face seems to have lost its youthful fullness and softness.

What are Dermal Fillers?

Dermal fillers are gel-like substances that are injected beneath the skin to restore lost volume, smooth lines, and soften creases, or enhance facial contours. They are a type of nonsurgical cosmetic procedure that can plump thin lips, enhance shallow contours, remove wrinkles, and improve the appearance of scars.

There are several types of dermal fillers available, and each differs in chemical makeup, longevity, and degree of softness. The most common types of dermal fillers are:

Types	Description	Popular Brands
Hyaluronic acid (HA)	This is a naturally occurring substance found in the body that increases moisture, retains collagen, and provides elasticity and flexibility. It is the most popular category of dermal fillers and is used to treat fine lines and wrinkles.	Juvéderm®, Restylane® and Teosyal®
Calcium hydroxylapatite	This is a mineral-like compound found naturally in human bones. It is used to moderate-to-severe creases such as nasolabial folds, marionette lines, and frown lines, and to enhance fullness of the cheeks and other facial contours.	Radiesse
Polylactic acid	This is a synthetic, biodegradable substance that stimulates the body's own collagen production. It is used to treat deep facial wrinkles and produce results that can last more than 2 years.	Sculptra
Polymethyl-methacrylate microspheres	This is a synthetic, biocompatible, and non-biodegradable substance that is suspended in bovine collagen. It is used to treat deep wrinkles and facial wasting.	Bellafill

When to Get Fillers During Weight Loss Journey

The ideal time for filler injections is once you have reached your target weight after the weight loss process. Facial volume continues to reduce as you lose weight. Any enhancements through fillers or fat grafting prior to hitting your goal weight are likely to look less effective over time.

However, some areas like the hollows under eyes and fine lines around the mouth can be treated earlier as they will continue looking improved. Discuss your timelines with an expert injector.

For most patients, it is best to wait till the weight has stabilized before treating the cheeks, midface, chin and jawline with fillers. Starting the process too soon means you may need additional touch-ups and repeated visits for maintaining the look.

Post-Weight Loss Touch-ups

It is common to need follow-up or maintenance treatments with dermal fillers even after hitting your goal weight. Some fillers like hyaluronic acid ones will degrade over 6-18 months. Gravity, muscle movements and natural aging affect facial contours continuously.

Hence you may notice your cheeks, jawline or chin losing definition a few months post-fillers. Follow up with your injector and schedule touch-ups based on their recommendation. This will enable you to maintain your refreshed, youthful look long-term.

If you happen to regain a significant amount of weight after filler injections, the results are likely to decrease. The increased fat volume may diminish or alter the effect of the fillers. Inform your cosmetic physician about any major weight fluctuations after receiving facial fillers. Additional touch-ups may be required in such cases to restore the desired rejuvenated appearance after weight loss.

Non-Surgical Alternatives to Dermal Fillers

While injectable fillers are the most popular and effective option for facial rejuvenation, some patients may want to consider alternatives too. Non-surgical skin tightening and fat reduction devices can also help compensate for facial aging after weight loss. Options include:

Treatment	Description
Topical creams and serums	Numerous topical skincare products like serums and creams contain active ingredients like retinoids, hyaluronic acid, antioxidants, and peptides that can help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
Skin resurfacing procedures	Non-invasive skin resurfacing treatments like microdermabrasion, chemical peels, and laser therapy can improve the look of fine lines, wrinkles, and skin texture by removing the outer layers of skin and promoting collagen production.
Collagen stimulation techniques	Procedures like radiofrequency, ultrasound, and microneedling can stimulate natural collagen production in the skin, leading to a reduction in the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
Specialized skincare	Skincare products with ingredients like hyaluronic acid, vitamin C, and retinol can hydrate, brighten, and improve skin texture and tone for a more youthful appearance.

Combining such devices along with dermal fillers often provides optimal rejuvenation. A customized approach tailored to each patient’s cosmetic concerns and goals is recommended for the best results.

Additional Benefits of Weight Loss

The aesthetic rewards are an obvious advantage of losing excess weight. What’s more, the health gains can be even more life-changing. Losing those extra pounds helps lower blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol levels. Mobility often improves along with energy levels and lung function. The risk for stroke, heart disease, diabetes and cancer decreases as well.

With weight loss through natural means or surgery, maintaining a stable healthy weight is vital. This enables patients to sustain all the aesthetic and medical rewards achieved.

Tips to Maintain Youthful Appearance Post Weight Loss

Achieving natural-looking rejuvenation and restoring your ideal aesthetics post weight loss involves a holistic approach. Here are some tips that can help maintain a youthful, revitalized appearance after losing weight:

1. Focus on Skin Health

Your skin needs ample moisture and nutrition to retain elasticity and suppleness after weight loss. Use a moisturizing cream specifically formulated for aging skin. Apply sunscreen daily and avoid direct sunlight to protect against further wrinkling.

2. Load Up on Collagen

Collagen is vital for healthy, resilient skin. Make sure your diet includes foods like bone broth, citrus fruits, berries and leafy greens. Consider a supplement as well to promote collagen production.

3. Schedule Regular Skin Treatments

Non-invasive skin tightening treatments every 6-12 months can help manage sagging. These include Ultherapy, radiofrequency and fractional laser resurfacing. Regular chemical peels keep skin glowing too.

4. Get Repeat Filler Touch-ups

Revisit your cosmetic injector to re-evaluate your facial aesthetics every 12 months or so. Schedule maintenance filler injections as needed to sustain your youthful facial contours.

5. Consider Additional Facial Rejuvenation Procedures

Depending on your concerns, a brow lift, neck lift or blepharoplasty may be recommended. A liquid facelift combines multiple anti-aging treatments for complete facial renewal. Discuss the options with a board-certified plastic surgeon.

6. Adopt a Healthy Lifestyle

Eat a nourishing whole foods diet, stay active, quit smoking and manage stress. These help support your weight as well as keep your skin and body healthy.

Weight fluctuations can impact the longevity and effectiveness of dermal fillers. So maintain a stable weight through healthy nutrition and lifestyle habits. This ensures you get the most out of your filler investment.

7. Visit an Expert Injector

Have an experienced cosmetic provider assess your facial profile during your weight loss journey. Schedule an appointment a few months after reaching your goal weight. The expert analysis will determine if and where you need fillers for reviving a youthful facial appearance.

Wrapping Up

Losing a significant amount of weight can take a toll on facial aesthetics. Sunken cheeks, loose jowls, and wrinkles can make the face appear hollow, gaunt, and aged. Dermal fillers offer an effective solution to restore lost volume and recapture a more youthful, radiant facial appearance after major weight loss. With regular maintenance touch-ups and a healthy lifestyle, the rejuvenated look can be sustained long-term.

Get in Touch with Dr. Lanna

If you have experienced facial aging after substantial weight loss, dermal fillers may be the right solution for you. Schedule a consultation with board-certified cosmetic surgeon Dr. Lanna to determine if facial rejuvenation with fillers is recommended. With her artistic eye, extensive experience, and patient-centered approach, Dr. Lanna develops customized filler treatments for natural-looking, long-lasting results.

Contact the office today to book your appointment and rediscover your facial radiance.