Filler Dilemma: What is Pillow Face and How Can You Avoid It?

In the right hands, dermal fillers can safely and effectively rejuvenate your face. They can address volume loss, improve facial contours, and enhance your beauty with natural-looking results. They can energize your appearance and make you look younger without most people noticing you had some work done. 

On the other side of the spectrum, however, facial fillers can lead to overt or extremely obvious results. This is especially true with untrained hands or going overboard with the injectable. Pillow face is one of the side effects that is making a buzz, creating a puffy look or cheeks that have an overfilled appearance.

Continue reading as we explain further what pillow face is, why it happens, and what you can do to avoid this fluffy look.  

What is “Pillow Face”?

Pillow face is the term used to describe an overly stuffed face that some patients experience with too much fillers. With this side effect, the cheek area becomes overly puffy and more rounded, like a pillow. It can also result in fullness or a swollen look in the lower eyelids, making the eyes look smaller with a squished appearance.

It is worth noting that as filler dissolves, pillow face or related side effects will resolve on its own. This can take about six months to a year or so, depending on the type of filler used. Your injector can also inject an enzyme called hyaluronidase to dissolve hyaluronic acid (HA) fillers. This, however, does not apply to other types of fillers. 

What causes pillow face?

What having a pillow face does is create an unnatural appearance with a loss of natural contours that make the face look puffed instead of sculpted or chiseled. This can be due to several factors, including:

• Fillers done by unqualified injectors – unflattering results are likely when people who have no professional qualifications administer the treatment. This is because it could also mean that they lack ethics, expertise, or proper understanding of facial anatomy which could lead to overfilling and incorrect placement.
• Using too much filler – injecting too much or more than what the area can hold can lead to puffiness with prominent results. This can also cause the filler to move into neighboring areas of the face, resulting in asymmetry, filler migration, and other unwanted side effects. 
• Filler migration – this occurs when the filler material moves from where it should be to a nearby area. Filler migration can happen with overfilling, getting filler often, too much handling, wrong injection site, and treatments performed by unqualified injectors. 
• Cheap fillers from unreliable sources – fillers and other cosmetic injectables brought from the Internet can be fake, diluted with water or other liquids, or of low quality. These can cause adverse reactions or contribute to an unnatural appearance. 

How to avoid getting “Pillow Face” from fillers

So, what can you do to reduce your risk of developing a pillow face or any unwanted side effects? Below are a few things that can help:

• See a medical professional or an experienced injector – Have your filler done by a medical professional who has years of experience administering cosmetic injectables. Our aesthetic clinic in Singapore has board-certified doctors and is led by Dr. Sylvia Ramirez, a US board certified physician with years of performing injectable treatments.
• Go for a conservative approach – Fillers are meant to add volume, contour, and definition to the face in a way that enhances your natural beauty. Unnatural results seen on social media are mostly due to adding too much filler in a small area. The less is more approach is the key to avoiding a pillow face, as well as scheduling follow-ups to monitor results and decide if additional filler is needed.
• Follow post-treatment instructions from your doctor – After the treatment, your doctor will provide you with post-procedure care to avoid side effects. This can include avoiding making exaggerated facial expressions and not massaging or applying excessive pressure on the treated area. You also need to avoid sun exposure, going to the gym, and doing strenuous exercise.
• Explore non-surgical alternatives to filler – Fillers do help in restoring volume loss and adding youthful plumpness, but they are not your only choice for fighting signs of aging. You can try Microfocused Ultrasound with Visualization (MFU-V) for  non-invasive skin lifting and tightening of the face, jawline, and neck.

Our aesthetic clinic in Singapore also has bio-remodeling injectable for achieving smoother and more glowing skin. Containing 100% pure hyaluronic acid (HA), this injectable bio-stimulates essential skin proteins that can help restore hydration and improve skin laxity. It is ideal for dull, tired, and aging skin.

Book a consultation today

Are you considering fillers or other non-surgical treatments to enhance your natural beauty? Get in touch with Cutis today. We have board-certified doctors and experienced injectors, authentic devices and injectable products, as well as transparent pricing and a patient-based approach. Contact us at +65 6801 4000 to schedule a consultation.