By now, you’ve heard of “Ozempic face”—the gaunt cheeks and jawline sagging that can accompany significant weight loss, including weight loss associated with GLP-1 medications. The temples, however, can be among the first places where facial volume loss becomes visible, leaving the upper face looking hollow, shadowed or older.
Ahead, dermatologists and a facial plastic surgeon explain what happens to the temples after rapid weight loss, why hollowing may show up there first and which treatments can help restore volume.
Featured Experts
- Tina Alster, MD and Nina Hartman, MD are board-certified dermatologists in Washington D.C.
- Paul S. Nassif, MD is a board-certified facial plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills, CA
What Happens to Your Temples After Rapid Weight Loss?
“The temple is an anatomically complex area composed of multiple layers, including deep and superficial fat pads that provide soft, youthful contour,” explain Washington D.C., dermatologists Tina Alster, MD and Nina Hartman, MD. With significant weight loss, those fat pads can shrink substantially.
“Because the temple is a relatively thin region with few other structures contributing meaningful volume, this loss can create a hollow or concave appearance, making the underlying bone, muscle and blood vessels more visible,” they explain. “The result is an upper face that often appears more skeletal, tired and aged.”
Beverly Hills, CA, facial plastic surgeon Paul S. Nassif, MD, adds that “this loss of volume can create the appearance of accelerated facial aging, even when the weight loss itself is a positive health outcome.”
Why Do Temples Hollow After Weight Loss?
“The temples are naturally a thinner area of the face, with relatively little soft tissue covering the underlying bone. Even a modest reduction in facial fat can therefore become noticeable,” says Dr. Nassif. That limited cushioning can make hollowing apparent before similar changes are obvious elsewhere on the face, explain Drs. Alster and Hartman.
Because the temples visually connect the forehead, brows, eyes and cheeks, hollowing in the area can change how light falls across the upper face and have an outsized impact on overall facial harmony, Dr. Nassif notes.
Best Treatments for Temple Hollowing After Weight Loss
Experts recommend several treatments for restoring volume to hollow temples, but the right approach depends on the individual. As Dr. Nassif notes, “treatment should always be individualized based on the patient’s anatomy, degree of volume loss and long-term goals.” A consultation with a board-certified dermatologist or facial plastic surgeon can help determine the most appropriate option.
Hyaluronic Acid Fillers
Drs. Alster and Hartman note that hyaluronic acid fillers “are the most commonly used option for mild to moderate hollowing, as they can be precisely placed within both the deep and superficial compartments of the temple to provide relatively immediate correction.”
They may be especially appealing to patients seeking a temporary, nonsurgical option. When administered by an experienced injector, hyaluronic acid filler can restore volume and improve the temple’s contour, Dr. Nassif says. Another benefit is that it can be dissolved if necessary, add Drs. Alster and Hartman.
Biostimulatory Fillers
Biostimulatory fillers are another option for addressing temple hollowing. “Rather than simply replacing volume, these treatments stimulate the body’s own collagen production, offering more gradual and potentially longer-lasting improvement,” explain Drs. Alster and Hartman. Because the effects develop over time, patients may need a series of treatments to achieve their desired results.
Fat Grafting
For patients seeking a longer-lasting option that uses their own tissue, the experts suggest facial fat grafting. “This involves transferring a patient’s own fat to restore temple volume, but it requires a harvesting procedure such as liposuction and typically involves more downtime,” explain Drs. Alster and Hartman.
“Using the patient’s own fat allows us to restore volume while maintaining a soft, natural appearance,” says Dr. Nassif. “In many cases, we also process a portion of that fat into nanofat, which can be used to enhance skin quality and overall tissue health.” Because weight loss often affects several facial fat compartments at once, he evaluates the face as a whole rather than treating the temples in isolation. Doing so, he says, helps preserve balance and facial harmony.
