Plastic Surgeons Weigh in on Best Treatment Options for Hollow Temples Associated with Ozempic Face

The temples can begin to hollow with age as the face loses volume, but hollowing can also occur as a result of “Ozempic face.” In fact, a recent Aesthetic Surgery Journal study demonstrated that massive weight loss, an effect of Ozempic use, causes accelerated facial aging, manifested through fat “devolumization,” like hollow temples, and increased skin laxity. Plastic surgeon J. Randall Jordan, MD, FACS, expects as GLP-1 is increasingly used for weight loss in 2025, fillers will remain the mainstay of treating temporal volume loss; however, he foresees these solutions becoming more long lasting in the future.

Dermal Fillers Projected to be the Leading Hollow Temple Treatment

“The only solution to volume loss in the temples, other than weight gain, would be either injectable volume replacement in the form of fillers or fat, or a physical implant,” says Jordan, a double board certified facial plastic surgeon in Jackson, Mississippi and AAFPRS Group VP, Public & Regulatory Affairs.

Dermal fillers, he says, are the most common treatment due to their relative ease compared to surgical procedures, as implants are permanent, while fillers last about 1-2 years (up from 6-9 months in the past). He says he expects there to be even longer-lasting dermal fillers available in the near future, however.

“Even longer lasting fillers are still under development and may offer 3-5 years of improvement while still being reversible,” Jordan says. 

Jordan says there are currently two types of dermal fillers in the United States: hyaluronic acid gels, such as Galderma's Restylane, Allergen's Juvederm, Teoxane's RHA lines of fillers and Galderma's Sculptra—a poly-l-lactic acid injectable that stimulates collagen. 

Hyaluronic Acid, Sulptura and Lipofilling: Which Stands Out for Ozempic Face Hollow Temples?deagreez at Adobe Stock

“The hyaluronic acid gels yield an instant result, while Sculptra takes several months to generate collagen and is typically a series of injections, but may last longer than the [hyaluronic acid] gels,” Jordan says.

Plastic surgeon Frank Roesken, MD, says he prefers hyaluronic acid injections, as it poses fewer side effects compared to other solutions. He claims fillers will be the first choice of treatment for those experiencing hollow temples in 2025, as it is the “easiest way.” 

Real collagen products are not available in the U.S. market, only collagen stimulators like Sculptra, Roesken says. Stimulators contain synthetic substances that are “very helpful” in distinct facial areas, he adds. 

The Sculptra requires a series of injections about one month apart, Jordan says, and may last for 2-3 years. 

Because Ozempic causes a “global loss of volume,” Jordan says larger volume fillers such as Sculptra or lipofilling offer longer lasting improvement than hyaluronic acid fillers. 

“Some patients may not want the downtime or expense associated with [Sculptra or lipofilling] and choose hyaluronic acid fillers for a quicker more predictable boost,” Jordan says. 

Lipofilling—a process that involves removal from the abdomen via liposuction and injecting it into the temporal area—is less commonly used due to its unpredictable nature, Jordan says.

He adds, “This is an operative procedure with a reputation for less than predictable results, but when successful is essentially permanent.” 

With the unpredictability of lipofilling, Jordan and Roesken say injectable fillers will remain at the forefront of treating temporal area volume loss due to their ease of use as Ozempic for weight loss leads to an increase in these treatments.