No cosmetic injectables offer quite as much versatility as dermal fillers. Sure, they may be most commonly thought of as a way to plump lips and define cheekbones, but there are numerous other ways to use fillers (both the hyaluronic acid and biostimulatory varieties). “The options are endless, and you really can use them almost anywhere on the face or body,” says Dr. Gabriela Soza, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City. (The caveat? This largely involves off-label uses—so as always, it’s paramount to find a provider who has experience injecting filler in these ways.) Here, seven unexpected spots where doctors say injectable fillers have a huge impact.
Forehead
Botox isn’t the only injectable that works well in the forehead. According to Dr. Sarmela Sunder, a board-certified plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills, California, hyaluronic acid fillers are another good choice. “As we age, we lose soft tissue volume in the forehead and it becomes bonier and flatter. Restoring this volume and making the forehead slightly rounder, particularly in the center, helps light reflect off this area, creating a more youthful, rejuvenated appearance,” she says.
Similarly, some people are simply born with flatter foreheads; this, particularly in a profile view, can throw off the proportions of the face. “We’ve always focused on the relationship between the nose and chin when we talk about balanced facial features, but the ratio of the forehead to the nose to the chin is also important. Using fillers in the forehead can help augment this so the features and face look more harmonized,” she explains. The thicker, more dense hyaluronic acid fillers, such as Restylane Lyft, tend to work best here. And if paired with Botox (which minimizes the movement that tends to speed up the breakdown of filler), results can last up to a year.
A word of caution: the forehead is an extremely risky area to inject filler, probably riskier than anywhere else on the face or body, warns Dr. Sunder. There’s a higher risk of not just vascular occlusion but also vascular occlusion that can cause blindness; so again, always go to an experienced board-certified dermatologist or plastic surgeon.
Infrabrow
Also known as the spot immediately underneath the eyebrow, Dr. Sunder says injecting just a small amount of filler in the infrabrow can deliver a result similar to that of a blepharoplasty. “Most people equate an aging eye with saggy skin on the lid, but there’s also a general loss of volume around the eyes, particularly right under the brow,” she explains. Sometimes it’s not extra skin that needs to be surgically removed (as is the case during a blepharoplasty) but simply skin that needs to be plumped up, she says. Hyaluronic acid fillers similar to those used under the eyes/in the tear troughs (such as Juvéderm Volbella) work well here, and results can last over a year.
Temples
Hollow temples are among the biggest telltale signs of an aging face, says Dr. Soza, and they’re often overlooked. No one asks for filler in the temples; rather, it’s something that comes about after having a conversation about a patient’s overall appearance and what’s bothering them, she says. Again, credit the inevitable volume loss that comes with age as well as the fact that there’s a fat pad in the temples that recedes over time, adds Dr. Sunder. It makes the temples appear concave and sunken in, an effect that’s also sometimes seen in younger patients who have experienced extreme weight loss, she points out.
Both doctors note that even a small amount of filler—typically, thicker ones such as Restylane Lyft or Juvéderm Voluma, can make a huge yet very subtle difference. You definitely don’t want to overfill, because that looks odd and unnatural, but rather use just enough to balance out any concavity, explains Dr. Sunder. “It’s one of those things that make you look 10 years younger, but no one will know you had anything done,” adds Dr. Soza. Plus results can last well over a year.
Earlobes
Your earlobes become thinner and saggier with age too, and constantly wearing earrings doesn’t help matters. “The earlobes are one of my favorite places to use filler, because people don’t realize how even a tiny amount can really revolumize the area and make the earlobes look so much better,” says Dr. Soza. Dr. Sunder agrees, adding that it’s a great choice not only for those with aging earlobes, but also for people with stretched out piercings who may be considering earlobe reconstruction. As with the temples, results can last more than a year. The other nice thing is, you don’t need a lot of filler—and almost any hyaluronic acid option will work. Dr. Eliza Whitaker, a board-certified plastic surgeon in Atlanta, says she considers this an add-on injection, often using whatever is left over in a syringe after injecting another area.
Neck and décolletage
Hyaluronic acid fillers work well to help fill in horizontal lines on the neck (what people refer to as “tech neck” lines), while a hyperdiluted version of biostimulatory filler, such as Radiesse or Sculptra, helps to tighten the skin, says Dr. Soza. In this case, the goal isn’t to add fullness or volume but rather to stimulate new collagen production and help to improve the texture of crepiness, she explains. This class of fillers can also have a huge effect on vertical or angled lines that develop on the chest and décolletage. Granted, it’s not an instantaneous solution; maximum results occur about three months post-injection and last about a year.
Upper arms
Similarly, hyperdiluted versions of these biostimulatory fillers are being used to smooth the texture on other areas of the body; Dr. Whitaker says the upper underarm area is very popular. The results can be impressive, though she notes that when these fillers are being injected on the body, the cost can add up quickly. “We usually do these injections in two to three sessions, four to six weeks apart, and each session requires a high number of syringes,” she says. Results will last about one year.
Buttocks
“Sculptra and Radiesse can be used to subtly augment the buttocks,” says Dr. Soza. “While not the same as a BBL, there are ways to use these fillers to add volume as well as to firm and tighten the skin, depending on the injection technique.” (The same rules apply as for the arms when it comes to the amount of filler needed and length of results.) Hyaluronic acid fillers are an option for filling in very targeted cellulite dimples, she adds, though she notes that with the advent of Qwo, this is now a slightly less popular choice than it once was.
