You catch your face from the side and notice a dip just in front of your ear. Perhaps it's become deeper over time, or your face looks thinner here since losing weight.
Pre-auricular filler treats that hollow at the back of the cheek. It makes the dip and its shadow less obvious, so the side of your face looks smoother and less sunken.
You can be pleased with the weight you've lost and less pleased with where it has gone from your face. Dr Alex will look at whether restoring some volume here would help.
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With Dr Alex, who teaches doctors, dentists and nurses how to carry out dermal filler treatments.
What you've noticed
A dent at the side of your cheek
You may notice it more from an angle, with your hair tied back or tucked behind your ears.
There's a hollow just in front of your ear
Your face looks too thin here
One side has a deeper dip
The practical details
Pre-auricular filler at a glance
The dip becomes shallower during treatment, so you can see the difference straight away.
The result
Less of a dip in front of the ears
The hollow can look less deep and the shadow less obvious, with a smoother shape at the side of your face.
From the front or an angle, the back of your cheek can look less sunken. If this area has changed with age or weight loss, treatment can restore some of the shape you remember.
You can keep definition in your cheekbones while softening the hollow behind them. Dr Alex will look at the two together; filling every dip completely wouldn't suit every face.
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Would this suit you?
Would filling that dip help?
Filler is most useful when the skin dips in because there is less tissue beneath it. Wrinkles and loose skin may need something different.
What it cannot do
It won't pull loose skin back towards your ears
Filler here cannot reproduce the effect of holding your skin back with your fingers. It can soften a hollow, but it won't provide a facelift or reliably lift heavy jowls.
If loose skin is the main concern, adding volume may make the face wider without giving you the change you want. Dr Alex will explain when another treatment would help more.
How it works
Filling the hollow beneath the skin
Hyaluronic acid filler is a gel that adds volume beneath the sunken area, making the dip shallower.
The soft tissue in front of the ear helps give the back of the cheek its shape. If it thins, the skin sits further inwards and a deeper shadow can appear below and behind the cheekbone.
Filler replaces some of that missing volume. As the hollow becomes shallower, the skin catches the light more evenly and the dent looks less obvious.
The change comes from filling the dip itself. It doesn't come from pulling the skin backwards, so this treatment won't reproduce what you see when you hold the side of your face up with your fingers.
Your appointment
Looking at the hollow from a few angles
Dr Alex will examine the sides of your face alongside your cheekbones and jaw. You'll discuss how much of a change you'd like.
Discuss the change you've noticed
Decide whether it's worth treating
Treat the hollow
Give the area time to settle
Why Dr Alex
Why choose Dr Alex for pre-auricular filler?
Dr Alex teaches doctors, dentists and nurses across several dermal filler ranges. He's currently a trainer for Evolus's Estyme fillers and has helped launch Estyme and Aliaxin LV in the UK.
For this area, he'll look at how the hollow sits alongside your cheekbone and jaw. The dip may bother you, while the cheekbone definition is something you'd very much like to keep. Both need to influence where he treats and how much he uses.
He'll also check whether it's the hollow or loose skin that's making the difference. If filling it would mainly make your face wider, without improving what bothers you, he'll say so.
GMC-registered doctor · 7072776
Full Member of BCAM
International toxin trainer
Aesthetics Awards winner 2021
Safety and recovery
The risks to understand before treatment
Bruising, tenderness and swelling can follow treatment. Unevenness or a lump may need assessment if it persists.
Possible side effects
Other risks include infection and delayed inflammation. A salivary gland lies beneath this area; misplaced filler can cause gland inflammation, pain or swelling. This is one reason the anatomy and any previous symptoms need careful assessment.
As with other facial fillers, a blocked blood vessel can cause serious harm, including skin damage and, rarely, visual loss or stroke. Dr Alex will discuss the relevant risks before you decide.
When to get urgent help
Contact SONÜ immediately if you develop unusual or increasing pain, pale skin, or a dusky or mottled colour around the treated area. Don't wait for a routine review. If you can't reach the clinic, seek urgent medical care.
Any change in vision, sudden weakness or difficulty speaking needs emergency medical help. Call 999 and tell them you've recently had dermal filler.
Contact SONÜ promptly for worsening swelling, heat or redness, or pain or swelling that occurs when you eat.
When to postpone treatment
Treatment should wait during pregnancy or breastfeeding, or if the area is infected or inflamed. Unexplained swelling in front of the ear needs assessment before cosmetic treatment. Discuss allergies, medicines, medical conditions, previous reactions and recent or planned dental work with Dr Alex.
You can ask about alternatives or leave the area untreated.
Treatment costs
How much does pre-auricular filler cost?
Treatment starts from £400 for the first 1 ml. We’ll agree the amount, areas and total cost with you before treatment.
Common questions
Questions about filler in front of the ears
Including how it differs from cheek, temple and jowl treatment.
Where exactly is the pre-auricular area?
Is this the same as cheek filler?
Could it make my face look rounder?
Will it hide my jowls?
Can it help after weight loss?
What about wrinkles that appear when I smile?
How long does pre-auricular filler last?
Is it painful?
How much time should I leave before an event?
What if I have had a facelift or filler here before?
Other options
If the hollow is somewhere else
Temple filler treats the dips beside the forehead. Accordion-line treatment addresses creases across the cheeks, and jowl or jawline filler can improve suitable dents along the lower face. Dr Alex will explain which area matches the change you've noticed.
Your next step
Would you like the sides of your face to look less hollow?
Book a consultation with Dr Alex at SONÜ in Hale, Altrincham. He'll look at the dips in front of your ears and explain how much filler could improve them, with a recommendation and cost for you to consider.
SONÜ Medical Aesthetics
34 Hale Road, Hale, Altrincham, WA14 2EX
Doctor-led treatment in a relaxed, private clinic
Close to Hale station and easy to reach from Altrincham, Manchester and Cheshire