Skin Care Education
Facial Hollowing
A sunken or gaunt appearance, most often in the cheeks or temples, caused by a loss of the fat pads that naturally support facial structure.
Table of Contents
What Is Facial Hollowing?
Facial hollowing describes a sunken or gaunt look, most often in the cheeks and temples, caused by a loss of the deep fat pads that naturally support facial structure. Rather than tissue drooping downward, the underlying volume that holds skin up isn’t there anymore, which can make the skin above it look thin or shadowed even without much visible laxity.
This can happen gradually with age, more rapidly after significant or fast weight loss, or as a side effect of certain medications. Because the underlying cause shapes how the hollowing looks and progresses, someone experiencing it after weight loss is often dealing with a different pattern than someone experiencing purely age-related volume loss.
Types of Facial Hollowing
Facial Hollowing presents in several forms, ranging across areas:
- Cheek hollowing: loss of volume in the mid-face, creating a flatter or sunken look below the cheekbone.
- Temple hollowing: volume loss at the temples, often one of the earliest and most overlooked signs of facial volume decline.
- Under-eye hollowing: volume loss just below the eye, creating a sunken trough distinct from puffiness or bags.
- Post weight-loss hollowing: volume loss that occurs across multiple areas of the face following significant or rapid weight change.
Causes and Contributing Factors
| Factor | Description |
|---|---|
| Age-related fat pad loss | The deep fat pads supporting the cheeks and temples gradually shrink and shift downward with age. |
| Rapid or significant weight loss | Fat loss doesn’t stay confined to the body; the face often loses volume proportionally, sometimes faster than expected. |
| Genetics | Some people naturally carry less facial fat and show hollowing earlier or more prominently. |
| Smoking | Accelerates collagen breakdown and can contribute to a more hollowed, prematurely aged appearance. |
| Certain medications | Some medications, including GLP-1 weight loss treatments, can contribute to facial volume loss as a side effect of broader fat reduction. |
Frequently Asked Questions: Acne
No. It’s often related to age, but rapid weight loss, genetics, smoking, and certain medications can all contribute to volume loss at any age.
No. Sagging is caused by tissue and skin losing structural support and drooping downward. Hollowing is caused by a loss of the underlying volume itself. The two often occur together but are mechanically distinct.
The volume loss itself can be addressed, most commonly by restoring lost volume rather than reversing the underlying tissue loss. Many people see significant improvement in the sunken appearance once volume is appropriately restored.
The mechanism is similar (fat pad volume loss) but the pattern and pacing can differ, since weight-related loss can occur more quickly and across more areas of the face simultaneously.
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