Priorities
Volume loss and flat cheeks
Cheeks, temples, and midface that have lost volume and look flatter than they used to.
Treatments from $750
The short version
Volume loss changes the face gradually. The cheekbones catch less light, a shadow forms beneath them, and the temples can become slightly concave. The skin may not be sagging at all, but the face looks flatter than it used to.
This comes from fat pads shrinking and bone remodeling, a normal change that starts in the mid 30s. Filler replaces lost volume but doesn’t lift tissue, and understanding that difference helps you avoid using more product than you need.
Why it happens
Why the face loses fullness
Most of what changes sits beneath the skin. The fat pads that give your cheeks and temples their shape shrink and drift lower with age, and the bone underneath slowly remodels, so the face loses the soft contours that catch the light.
Fat pads get smaller
Fat under the cheeks, temples and around the eyes thins over time, and the face can look flatter or more tired.
Bone gives less support
Bone loss, often visible after 50, removes some of the structure that skin and fat rest on.
Skin loosens over the top
As collagen and elastin thin, the skin has less spring, so what volume remains sits lower.
Sources: Cleveland Clinic, aging skin
Your options
How we'd approach it
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Step 1We'd start with
Dermal filler
From $750
About Dermal fillerIf volume is missing in one area, usually the cheek, a hyaluronic acid filler restores it in the same visit. Our nurse practitioners place it with a cannula, using one syringe per side at most on a first visit, and we'll review the result at a two-week follow-up.
-
Step 2If you need a little more
Radiesse
From $750
About RadiesseIf the deflation is everywhere, temples and jawline included, Radiesse adds volume on the day and then works as a scaffold for your own collagen over months. We don't offer Sculptra at Lincoln Park, but our Arlington Heights clinic does.
Side by side
Your options side by side
Hyaluronic filler and Radiesse both restore volume, in different ways. Here's how they compare on our menu.
We'd start with
Hyaluronic acid filler
From $750
- Best for
- Volume missing in one area, usually the cheek
- Appointment
- 30 to 60 minutes, numbing cream plus lidocaine in the gel
- Downtime
- Swelling 2 to 3 days, bruising possible, settled by day 14
- First results
- On the table, under the swelling
- Sessions
- 1, sometimes a refinement at 2 to 4 weeks
If you need a little more
Radiesse
From $750
- Best for
- Thinning across the midface, temples or jawline
- Appointment
- 30 to 60 minutes, numbing cream plus lidocaine in the gel
- Downtime
- Swelling 2 to 3 days, bruising possible, settled by day 14
- First results
- On the day, then building as collagen forms
- Sessions
- 1, sometimes a refinement at 2 to 4 weeks
PDO threads, by request
Priced at your consult
- Best for
- Mild sagging that needs a lift, not more volume
- Appointment
- 45 to 90 minutes, local anesthetic at entry points
- Downtime
- Swollen and tender 2 to 3 days, mostly settled by day 7
- First results
- Repositioning on the day, under swelling
- Sessions
- 1, repeated at 12 months or when the lift fades
Prices are starting prices from our menu. Your provider will confirm the plan and total cost at your consult. Individual results vary.
What to expect
What to expect after cheek filler
The volume shows on the table, under a little swelling. The shape settles by day 14, when we see you for your follow-up.
Day 0
Shape visible, swollen, and possibly bruised. Ice as needed.
Day 2
Peak swelling. Lips look bigger than they'll be.
Day 14
Settled. This is your result, and we'll see you for your two-week check.
Week 4
Refinement if planned, usually a fraction of a syringe.
Months 6 to 12
Lips gradually soften back. Book a touch-up when you notice them fading.
Months 12 to 24
Chin, jaw, and cheeks fade slowly. The Radiesse collagen effect is still holding.
Timeline for dermal filler, from our treatment page. Individual results vary.
Our reasoning
Volume loss or sagging: choosing a treatment
We’ll hand you a mirror and have you look chin down, then chin up. If your cheek looks fine from above and flat from the front, the fat pad has shrunk, and one or two syringes of hyaluronic acid filler can restore it. Restylane Contour is FDA-approved for the cheeks and, since March 2026, the temples, and RHA 4 is approved for cheek volume, per the FDA’s approval records. Plan on it lasting 9 to 18 months, with a top-up when it fades. Every HA gel can also be dissolved if needed.
If your whole midface has thinned, we may recommend Radiesse, which is on the Lincoln Park menu. It’s calcium hydroxylapatite, FDA-approved for facial wrinkles and folds, the jawline and the backs of the hands. Merz reports results lasting up to 2 years, per Radiesse. It can’t be dissolved, so we never place it in the lips or under the eyes. Individual results vary.
Finally, we’ll assess whether tissue has dropped or only deflated. A jowl below the jawline is descent, which calls for Morpheus8, PDO threads by request at your consult, or a surgeon. Adding volume to a face that has dropped makes it look heavier, not younger.
Your questions, answered
How many syringes for cheeks?
One per side or less on a first visit, with a result check at two weeks. A face that has lost a lot of volume can need more across a few visits, and that's when Radiesse may be worth considering.
What's recovery like after cheek filler?
Expect some swelling and possibly a bruise, with no dressing needed, and you can go about your day right after. Skip strenuous exercise and alcohol for 48 hours, and sleep on your back the first night.
Do you have Sculptra in Lincoln Park?
No, we don't offer it at Lincoln Park. Radiesse covers most of the same ground for diffuse volume loss, with an immediate result on top. If Sculptra is the better fit for you, our Arlington Heights clinic offers it.
Why do my cheeks look flat?
Usually the cheek fat pad has shrunk or slipped a little lower, which happens gradually from the mid 30s on. The skin can be in good shape and the face still look flatter. Putting volume back in the right spot restores the curve without looking overdone.
Is Radiesse or hyaluronic filler better for cheeks?
Hyaluronic filler is precise and can be dissolved, so it's our usual first choice for one area. Radiesse adds volume and then helps build collagen over months, which suits wider thinning. It can't be dissolved, so we never use it in the lips or under the eyes.
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