I Wanted to Sculpt My Face With Cheek and Jawline Filler – Here Are My Results
PSA: It’s not just contouring. Sky high cheekbones and chiseled jawlines are ubiquitous these days on Instagram, and I’m personally a huge fan of the ultra-defined look. Truthfully, I’ve been a fan ever since Olivia Wilde debuted her gorgeous angular face on The O.C. many moons ago (IYKYK). But alas, no matter how many YouTube tutorials I watched, or how many celeb-loved contour palettes I purchased, I simply could not achieve the look on my own. So I decided to get a little *help* from my friendly neighborhood Skin Pharm office.
As you all know, I’m no stranger to Botox and lip filler, but I’d never heard of someone I knew personally getting cheek and/or jawline filler. Every time I posted on Instagram about my lip filler, I would get a smattering of DMs asking if I’ve ever gotten cheek filler. It seemed to me that the interest was definitely there for many, but like me no one seemed to know anyone with firsthand experience. I would simply have to be the guinea pig then – as a favor to all of you, of course.
I’ve known Clare Taylor (Nurse Practitioner at Skin Pharm Atlanta) for over a year now. She’s done my Botox and microneedling in the past, and I’ve always been struck by how knowledgeable she is about her craft. I know what you’re thinking, shouldn’t everyone coming near your face with a needle be knowledgeable? I’m here to tell you that unfortunately that’s not always the case, and horror stories abound. So do your research, and always make sure you’re going to a reputable place.
Anyway, back to Clare. Her genuine interest and expertise has always put me at ease, and it doesn’t hurt that she’s so friendly and I love chatting with her. Once I’d decided I wanted to tumble down this rabbit hole, she was my first call. As soon as I told her I wanted to get cheek and jawline filler, she immediately told me it was one of her favorite procedures to do. She sent me a ton of client before and afters, and rattled off a ton of science-y sounding jargon. I knew I was ready to leave this in her very capable hands.
THE PROCEDURE
In preparation for my appointment, I screenshot a ton of celebrity and influencer photos so I could show Clare exactly what I like and dislike. In truth, I have no idea if any of these people have had filler or not, but I felt like it couldn’t hurt to have visuals anyway. Clare and I spent the better part of an hour discussing and debating the merits of all the options – of which there are many – and weighing them against what I hoped to achieve.
I think it’s important to note here that I never once felt pressured to choose a certain product or an amount of product. So many “experts” tell their clients what they “need” and how much. I love that at Skin Pharm they present all the options and tell you what you’ll gain and potentially lose by going with any particular one. They recommend what they think would be best based on the goals you’ve told them you have as a client, and the client is in full control of the final choice.
Once we agreed on a plan of action, Clare took some before photos so she could study them and decide if she felt like any tweaks were needed while I sat with the numbing cream. Once I was numb she drew all over my face like a mad scientist (pictured below), and I once again had to appreciate the mindfulness and forethought going into this treatment.
During every injection she talked me through exactly what I was feeling and why – eg. it feels like this because I’m doing [insert explanation with lots of medical jargon] which is the safest way to inject in this location. Which brings me to another thing I love about Skin Pharm, their emphasis on safety. Everything they do is with your safety and end goals at the forefront, and it shows in their every action. When someone is making multiple injections all over your face, this definitely helps put the mind at ease.
I also loved that we made real-time assessments and adjustments after every injection. It wasn’t like we made a plan and Clare went forth to execute it. I very much felt at the center of the process, fully in control and able to change or tweak any little thing.
THE RESULTS
Clare’s motto is to never change your look, but to elevate it. I never wanted to not look like myself, I just wanted to look like Kim Kardashian’s makeup artist had done my contouring that day. I wanted a more defined face, but I didn’t want to add so much filler that my face ended up looking rounder or wider. There were so many options for product and placement and amount that it would make any amateur’s head spin. I love that Clare took the time hear my specific goals and concerns and tailored her approach to fit those. There is no one size fits all with this treatment!
The results were exactly what I hoped for and then some! Keep scrolling for before and after photos, as well as the detailed breakdown of what I had injected.
Even though I was swollen immediately after, you can still see the definition start to take shape - particularly in the cheekbones. Once it was fully settled a couple weeks later, I was shocked at how sculpted my face looked with almost no effort at contouring my makeup. Overall, my face looks more angular and v-shaped, which is exactly what I wanted to achieve!
THE BREAKDOWN
The detailed breakdown of everything Clare injected is below. She was kind enough to share her rationale for choosing each product, so you can trust the explanations are coming from an expert and not my own interpretations!
Cheeks/midface: 1 syringe Restylane Lyft per side
Adds contour and definition to cheekbones, lifts mid-third of face and relieves gravitational pull that causes deep folds beside nose and mouth; helps achieve a more oval, v-shaped appearance.
Chin and marionette: 1 syringe Restylane Lyft
Adds length to achieve more global facial harmony/balance; creates more space to better accommodate fuller lips; marionette area treatment gives a softer transition from chin to cheek and decreases the appearance of “jowling”.
Jawline: 1/2 syringe Radiesse per side
Placed towards the back of the jawline and in the notch of the jawline in order to give angular profile definition without widening of the face from the front view. Radiesse consists of calcium microspheres (vs hyaluronic acid gel in Restylane fillers) which fill and stimulate the body’s natural collagen production.
Nasolabial folds and pyriform: 1 syringe Restylane Defyne
Adds volume and hydration to deep set smile lines and folds.
In total we added 5 syringes of filler to my face. I know that sounds like a lot (it did to me at first too!), but the total amount equates to about a teaspoon. A. Teaspoon. After I learned that my response changed from “that’s a lot!” to “that’s ALL?!”. My favorite part was learning that the results can last up to 18 months vs the 6-8 months I’m accustomed to for lip filler and 3-4 months for Botox.
I can’t stress enough that this was a very tailored approach, and the exact products and amounts that I used may not be what’s best for your goals. I love my results from these treatments, and I absolutely recommend them to anyone looking to add some definition to their face. That said, it is so important to choose a reputable, knowledgeable clinic and injector to trust your face to.
Skin Pharm has offices in Atlanta, Nashville, and Dallas, and I highly recommend going in for a consult at one of their offices if you’re considering any kind of facial filler. All of the providers at this female-founded company are Physician’s Assistants or Nurse Practitioners, and they maintain a fantastic social media presence with tons of client photos, testimonials, treatment examples, etc. for a potential client to peruse. I truly cannot recommend them enough!
If you have any questions, drop ‘em in the comments or feel free to send me a DM on Instagram. I’ll also link Skin Pharm’s Instagram HERE and Clare’s Instagram HERE in case you want to go straight to the experts (I don’t blame you)!
As always, thank you for reading and sharing!
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