Injectables
Cheek / Midface Filler
Restores real age-related midface volume loss well. Used on a young face to 'build cheekbones', it is the fastest route to the puffy, shelf-cheeked look.
Also called: malar filler · cheekbone filler · midface volume
Verdict — mixed
Real in part — the claim outruns what it actually does.
Evidence grade B
At least one good randomised trial, or consistent findings across controlled studies.
Mechanism
Deep periosteal placement over the zygoma projects the malar eminence; superficial placement in the superficial fat compartments adds volume rather than definition.
Citations
- Midface volumization with hyaluronic acid: anatomical basis and outcomesPlastic and Reconstructive Surgery · 2015
The full read
Worth separating two completely different goals. Restoring volume lost from ageing midface fat compartments is well supported and looks like the person ten years earlier. Building projection on a young face with intact volume is a harder brief: the tissue has nowhere to go but outward and forward, so overfill shows early, and repeated sessions produce the flattened, widened midface that reads as obviously treated even in still photographs. Malar projection and cheek fullness are not the same thing and are not moved by the same placement — a practitioner who does not distinguish them in consultation is the wrong practitioner.