Temple filler
Temporal hollowing · 'hollow temples' trend
'Hollow temples' content took off on TikTok as creators noticed the area in their own videos, and injectors have reframed the temple as the forgotten zone that makes a face look gaunt or 'peanut-shaped'.
The temple is quiet work: nobody notices it was filled, they notice the face looks rested.
Reviewed against the Aesthetics International standard. Category: Injectables.
Does Temple filler work?
Established. The temple is quiet work: nobody notices it was filled, they notice the face looks rested. A 2025 multicentre randomised controlled trial of a hyaluronic acid filler found four in five treated participants improved on a validated temple scale at three months versus a small fraction of untreated controls, with effects lasting past a year.
- Verdict
- Established Long clinical track record. Results depend on selection and technique more than on the device.
- Evidence base
- 3 PubMed-indexed studies cited below, including systematic reviews, randomised trials.
- Suits
- Visible temporal hollowing that makes the face look gaunt or the brow tail droop, including in lean and athletic people.
- Not for
- Faces that are heavy or wide at the temples already; anyone who cannot accept a small vascular risk; people wanting a 'lift' from a filler that only frames.
- In Singapore
- Hyaluronic acid and calcium hydroxylapatite fillers are HSA-registered devices injected by doctors in Singapore.
- Category
- Injectables
- Reviewed
- 1 October 2026 by Aesthetics International. Revised as evidence and regulation change.
What it is
Filler, usually hyaluronic acid or calcium hydroxylapatite, placed in the temporal fossa, the hollow between the brow bone and the hairline. Filling it restores the smooth convexity of a younger face and lifts the tail of the brow slightly; it is a framing change rather than a feature.
How it works
The temple contains layered fat pads, the temporalis muscle and important vessels; filler can be placed deep on the bone, within the fascial layers, or just under the skin, and each plane carries different risks and results. Deep placement moves the whole surface but is more uncomfortable with chewing; superficial placement smooths the skin but shows irregularities in thin patients. The temple is a known site of vascular complications because its arteries anastomose with the orbital circulation.
What the evidence says
A 2025 multicentre randomised controlled trial of a hyaluronic acid filler found four in five treated participants improved on a validated temple scale at three months versus a small fraction of untreated controls, with effects lasting past a year. A systematic review of 40 studies and nearly 900 patients found consistent improvement with pain, bruising and swelling as the common events and vascular events rare. Case reports of necrosis and vision loss exist and are the reason this area is treated with cannula or ultrasound mapping by many injectors.
What people are saying
Paraphrased from public discussion on TikTok, Instagram, Reddit and in the press. Not testimonials, and not about any one clinic. Reported in: realself.com, jessicadefino.substack.com.
What the studies show
- RCT
At three months around 80 per cent of treated adults versus 13 per cent of untreated controls improved by at least one grade on a temple hollowing scale, with mostly mild adverse events and effects beyond a year.
Improvement in Temple Hollowing with VYC-20L Hyaluronic Acid Filler: A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial of Safety and Effectiveness — Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 2025. PMID 39808069.
- systematic review
Across 40 studies and 881 patients fillers improved temporal hollowing with pain, bruising and swelling as the common events; deeper placement was more often linked to chewing discomfort and vascular events were rare.
Nonsurgical Temple Volumization with Soft-Tissue Fillers: A Systematic Review of the Literature — Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, 2025. PMID 40325223.
- case series
A report of tissue necrosis after temple filler, highlighting the vascular anatomy that makes the temple a higher-risk injection site.
Treacherous territory: Temple fillers and tissue necrosis — Skin Health and Disease, 2024. PMID 39355741.
Studies are selected for relevance and quality, not for agreement with the verdict; PubMed records are linked so the reader can check them.
Who it suits
Suits
Visible temporal hollowing that makes the face look gaunt or the brow tail droop, including in lean and athletic people.
Not for
Faces that are heavy or wide at the temples already; anyone who cannot accept a small vascular risk; people wanting a 'lift' from a filler that only frames.
Alternatives
The two reviewed treatments most often weighed against Temple filler, on the same standard.
| Temple filler | PDRN and polynucleotides | Profhilo | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verdict | Established | Established | Established |
| What it is | Filler, usually hyaluronic acid or calcium hydroxylapatite, placed in the temporal fossa, the hollow between the brow bone and the hairline. | Polynucleotides are DNA fragments, usually purified from salmon or trout gonads, injected into the dermis in micro-droplets. | A high-concentration, stabilised hyaluronic acid injected at five points on each side of the face (the BAP technique), from which it spreads through the tissue. |
| Evidence base | 3 PubMed-indexed studies cited below, including systematic reviews, randomised trials. | 3 PubMed-indexed studies cited below, including systematic reviews, randomised trials. | 3 PubMed-indexed studies cited below, including randomised trials. |
| Suits | Visible temporal hollowing that makes the face look gaunt or the brow tail droop, including in lean and athletic people. | Thin, crepey under-eye skin; dull, inflamed or acne-prone skin; post-procedure recovery; people who want quality rather than volume. | Crepey, dehydrated skin of the face, neck and hands; people wanting quality not shape; first-time injectable patients. |
| In one line | The temple is quiet work: nobody notices it was filled, they notice the face looks rested. | The injected courses are a sensible part of a skin plan; the salmon-sperm facial is mostly the microneedling doing the work. | One of the few injectables where 'natural' is built into the design. |
Risks
Bruising, swelling, chewing discomfort, lumps in thin skin, and rare but serious vascular occlusion with necrosis or vision change.
In Singapore
Hyaluronic acid and calcium hydroxylapatite fillers are HSA-registered devices injected by doctors in Singapore.
“The temple is quiet work: nobody notices it was filled, they notice the face looks rested.”
Vetted protocols on the same problem
Questions
Why do my temples look hollow?
How much filler do temples need?
Is temple filler dangerous?
Cite this review
Aesthetics International (2026). Temple filler: does it work? Evidence, risks and verdict. https://aesthetics-international.org/treatments/temple-filler/ (reviewed 1 October 2026).
Editorial, unpaid and independent of any manufacturer. Verdict: Established. See what works and what doesn't across all 153 reviews. Spotted an error or a newer study? Suggest a correction — changes are logged on the corrections page. Terms are defined in the glossary.
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