Your Guide to Cosmetic Procedures

If you think of sunken temples, you might imagine ancient undersea places of worship, flung to the bottom of the ocean by some unspeakable natural disaster. You can find sunken temples much closer to home—perhaps just by looking in the mirror. Sunken temples (also called facial hollowing) is the loss of physical volume (fat cells) from the skin starting at the outer tips of your eyebrows, running to the tips of your ears. Although the loss of volume from this part of your face can be considered to be a natural part of the ageing process, it's not necessarily a welcome development. 

Dermal Fibroblasts

The dermal fibroblasts (which are fat molecules) beneath the skin are rich in collagen and other proteins, which help to give the skin a plump (youthful) appearance. Your concentration of dermal fibroblasts decreases with age, which can lead to skin taking on a sunken look. Whether they involve surgery, injectables, or dermal resurfacing (skin peels), the general objective of cosmetic procedures is to reverse the observable effects of the ageing process. In the case of sunken temples, dermal fillers can simply replace lost volume, essentially creating an artificial substitute for your diminished dermal fibroblasts.

Possible Injectables

There are a variety of fillers which help you to achieve results. You might receive a product designed to both mimic the effects of natural collagen, while also stimulating natural collagen production (such as calcium hydroxylapatite or poly-L-lactic acid). Autologous fat injections can also provide excellent results, although the process is more involved. It's a type of fat transfer, with body fat being removed from elsewhere in your body (via liposuction) before being injected into the target area (your temples). The best injectable will be determined by the results you hope to achieve, along with your specific skin type.

Reapplying Your Fillers

The results can be long-lasting, although won't be permanent. Dermal fillers create an artificial reservoir of the compound that will restore lost facial volume, but over time, this reservoir will be absorbed into your body. This means that reapplication will eventually be necessary. Factors that influence how long a filler will last includes your personal degree of facial hollowing, along with the specific physiology of your body. You can expect them to last from 6 to 18 months. Fillers injected into your temples may last for a considerable period of time, since this is an area of your face that experiences less movement than others (such as the skin around your mouth or eyes).  

If your sunken temples are cause for concern, and you believe that they're making you look older—dermal fillers can offer a simple way to replace this lost volume.