Cheeks
Bring back volume to the cheeks for a more balanced shape.
- Treatment time
- Roughly 30 to 45 minutes
- Results
- Seen straight away; fully settled after 2 weeks
- Longevity
- Usually 12–18 months
- Downtime
- Very little — swelling for a day or two
About Cheeks
Your cheeks are the framework at the centre of your face. When the fat pads and bone there lose volume over time, the mid-face flattens, hollows form below the cheekbone and the skin above the smile lines begins to slide down. Cheek enhancement puts that support back using hyaluronic acid filler placed on, or just under, the cheekbone.
When it's done well, the whole mid-face gets a gentle lift — which also softens smile lines and under-eye hollows indirectly — instead of producing obvious, sculpted 'cheekbones'.
Before & after
Key Benefits
- 01Puts back mid-face volume that age takes away
- 02A gentle lift that eases smile lines and jowling
- 03Shapes the cheekbones without a hard or fake look
- 04Evens out a flat or lopsided mid-face
- 05Can mean less filler is needed in other areas
- 06Settles fast, with very little downtime
Is this treatment right for me?
Cheek filler is for people who've seen their mid-face flatten or hollow, who notice heaviness gathering around the smile lines and jaw, or who'd just like more shape. It's often where a facial-balancing plan begins.
You may be suitable if…
- Your cheeks are flatter or more hollow than they once were
- You can see your smile lines or early jowls more clearly
- You want a little more shape to your cheekbones
- You aren't pregnant or breastfeeding
Your consultation will consider…
- How the area sits within the proportions of your whole face
- The quality of your skin, any loss of volume and how your face moves
- Your health history, allergies, medicines and any filler you've had before
- The likely amount of product, and a realistic plan in stages if one session isn't enough
What to expect
Before treatment
Your first step is an in-person consultation with John. He looks at the area alongside the rest of your face, asks what you'd like to change and what would suit you naturally, and goes through your medical history. Bruising is more likely if you take alcohol, aspirin, ibuprofen or supplements like fish oil or vitamin E, so stop these for the week before where it's safe to. Leave at least two weeks between any dental work and your appointment.
During treatment
After the skin is cleaned, numbing cream goes on for about 10–15 minutes, and many of today's fillers have a local anaesthetic mixed in too. John then injects the hyaluronic acid gel with either a fine needle or a blunt-ended cannula, whichever suits the area, sculpting and checking both sides match as he works. Expect a sense of pressure and the odd sting, not pain. The appointment usually lasts 30–45 minutes. John normally uses a cannula through one or two entry points on each side, which means less bruising and lets him build the shape in smooth layers.
After treatment
The difference shows immediately, but the area will be slightly swollen, and the final shape takes one to two weeks to settle. John explains your aftercare, and if anything needs fine-tuning you can come back for a review at the two-week mark.
Watch
See this treatment in the clinic, in short videos on John’s aesthetics site, Trusted Touch Aesthetics.
Watch 15 videos →Results & longevity
You'll see the lift right away, and it settles over roughly two weeks as swelling fades. The cheeks move far less than the lips, so filler here lasts well — usually twelve to eighteen months, and sometimes longer with the firmer gels used to give structure. How long it lasts comes down to the product, the amount and your metabolism. Many clients keep the result going with a smaller top-up about once a year.
Recovery, side effects & aftercare
There's hardly any downtime with cheek filler. A little swelling or tenderness for a day or two is normal, and since a cannula is normally used, bruising is unusual. Most people carry on with their day straight afterwards.
Side effects
The usual, expected effects are swelling, tenderness, redness and bruising, all of which fade within days. While the gel settles over the first couple of weeks you may feel small lumps or a little unevenness; these generally go on their own, and anything that lingers can be looked at. Less common risks are infection, an allergy-like reaction, or filler ending up somewhere it wasn't intended. On rare occasions filler can affect a blood vessel. John's technique is designed to keep this risk low, he checks for warning signs before you go home, and the clinic keeps the enzyme that dissolves hyaluronic acid on hand so it can be dealt with straight away.
Aftercare
For 24–48 hours, leave the area alone — no touching, pressing or massaging unless John has told you to. For 48 hours, avoid hard exercise, saunas, steam rooms, sunbeds and alcohol, and on the first night sleep with your head a little raised to keep swelling down. If the area is tender, a cool compress (not a frozen one) can help. Hold off facials, dental treatment and any other procedures on the area for two weeks, and don't put make-up over the injection points for the rest of the day.
Get in touch with the clinic immediately if you have pain that is unusual or getting worse, skin that turns patchy, pale or greyish-blue, blisters, redness that is spreading, or any change in your eyesight. You don't need to call about normal swelling and bruising, though you're always welcome to check in.
- Downtime
- Very little — normally a day or two
- Redness
- Slight, gone within hours
- Swelling
- Usual for 24–72 hours
- Bruising
- Can happen; clears within a week
- Normal activities
- The same day; hold off hard exercise for 24–48 hours
Frequently Asked Questions
Will my face look bigger or puffy?
No, not when the filler is placed to give structure rather than bulk. John works on and around the cheekbone to lift, and splits the treatment into stages if more than a little is needed.
How much filler goes in?
For a first treatment it's often 1–2 ml shared between both cheeks, depending on how much volume has gone. You'll agree the amount at your consultation.
Can cheek filler improve smile lines?
Very often. Putting support back into the cheek lifts the skin sitting above the smile lines, so they soften without any filler going into the crease itself.
Will you use a needle or a cannula?
Normally a blunt cannula, which slides under the skin from a single entry point and makes bruising less likely.
Is it painful?
Numbing cream goes on beforehand and most fillers include a local anaesthetic, so what you feel is pressure and the odd sting, not pain. Expect the area to be a little sore for a day or two.
Can filler be undone?
It can. If needed, hyaluronic acid filler can be broken down with an enzyme — one reason it's the filler we choose — and the clinic always keeps that dissolving treatment in stock.
What does the consultation involve?
Before anything is booked, John looks at the area as part of your whole face, hears what you'd like to change, reviews your medical history and is clear about what can realistically be achieved, roughly how much product you'd need and what it would cost.
Your Practitioner
John Dixon
Founder & Aesthetician
John founded Banana Beauty Lab and runs his aesthetics practice, Trusted Touch Aesthetics, here. He specialises in facial balancing and harmonisation, alongside wrinkle reduction and skin rejuvenation. His training is CPD-certified, he is fully insured, and is known for taking the time to assess your face properly, explaining every option honestly and never over-treating — the aim is always a natural result that still looks like you. Clients regularly mention his calm manner, attention to detail and the aftercare follow-up that checks in on how you're healing.