Temple Filler London: Hollow Temples, Cost & Safety Guide

Reviewed by Razvan Vasilas, DRV Clinic
Last reviewed: September 2026

The temples are not always the first area people associate with facial ageing. Yet when volume is lost here, the change can influence the appearance of the entire upper face.

Hollow temples can make the outer forehead appear more angular, accentuate the cheekbones and create a sharper transition between the forehead and mid-face. In some people, this contributes to a tired, gaunt or more skeletal appearance.

Temple filler can restore selected areas of lost volume, creating a smoother transition through the upper face without necessarily making the temples look obviously “filled”.

For patients considering temple filler london, the objective should be proportion rather than simply eliminating every hollow.

At DRV Clinic in Baker Street, Marylebone, temple filler is considered in relation to the forehead, brows, cheeks and wider facial structure so that treatment remains balanced and anatomically appropriate.

Temple Filler at a Glance

What Is Temple Filler?

Temple filler is a soft-tissue filler treatment used to restore volume in the area between the outer forehead, brow, hairline and upper cheek.

With age, changes occur in facial fat, muscle, skin and the underlying skeleton. These changes can gradually make the temporal region appear more concave.

Some people also have naturally hollow temples when they are younger.

Appropriately placed filler can soften that depression and create a smoother transition across the upper face.

Temple treatment is one of several areas that may be considered as part of dermal filler treatment in London.

A 2025 systematic review examined 40 studies involving 881 patients treated for temporal hollowing. Most patients received hyaluronic acid filler, and the review found improvements in temporal contour and patient satisfaction. Temporary discomfort, bruising and swelling were among the most frequently reported effects.

Read the systematic review on PubMed

The evidence supports temple volumisation as a well-described aesthetic treatment, but the appropriate product, volume and technique depend on the individual anatomy.

Why Do Temples Become Hollow?

Temple hollowing can become more noticeable with age because several facial structures change at the same time.

These can include:

• loss of superficial and deeper facial fat;
• changes in skin thickness and elasticity;
• changes around the temporalis muscle;
• skeletal ageing;
• wider facial volume loss.

Genetics also matter.

Some people naturally have pronounced temples, while others develop visible hollowing following significant weight loss or changes elsewhere in the face.

This is why temples should not be assessed in isolation.

A deep temporal hollow may be the main concern in one patient. In another, it may look more pronounced because the cheeks or lateral face have also lost volume.

What Does Temple Filler Do?

For people searching what does temple filler do, the treatment aims to replace selected areas of volume rather than change the underlying bone or muscle.

Potential improvements can include:

• reducing visible temporal hollowing;
• smoothing the transition between forehead and cheek;
• softening an overly angular upper face;
• reducing a particularly gaunt or skeletal appearance;
• creating better balance with prominent cheekbones.

The aim is usually subtle.

Some natural temple concavity is normal and often aesthetically desirable. Completely flattening the area can create an overfilled or heavy appearance.

This is why DRV Clinic may consider temple treatment as part of wider facial balancing in London rather than simply treating an isolated hollow with a predetermined quantity.

What Do Temple Filler Before and After Results Look Like?

Temple filler before and after is one of the most searched phrases around this procedure.

The principal visible change is usually a reduction in the depth of the hollow.

Rather than creating obvious fullness, a well-planned result should produce a smoother transition between the outer forehead and upper cheek.

Lighting matters considerably when judging results.

The temples naturally create shadow, so changes in lighting, head position, camera angle or hair placement can make a before-and-after transformation appear much larger than it really is.

Photographs are useful, but they should not determine how much filler another patient needs.

Anatomy comes first.

Can Filler in the Temples Lift the Eyes?

There is considerable search interest in filler in temples to lift eyes, but the terminology can be misleading.

Temple filler is not an eyelid lift or brow lift.

Restoring volume around the temporal region may subtly change how the lateral brow and surrounding upper-face contour appear in selected patients. The area can look smoother or better supported.

That should not be confused with reliably lifting sagging eyelid skin or significantly raising a descended brow.

Temple filler should therefore not be marketed as a substitute for an eyelid or surgical brow procedure.

Where loose eyelid skin or another structural concern is the main issue, a different treatment may be more appropriate.

Who May Be Suitable for Temple Filler?

Temple filler may be considered for patients whose temporal hollowing is noticeably affecting the balance of the upper face.

Assessment can include:

• degree of temple hollowing;
• natural facial shape;
• forehead contour;
• brow position;
• cheek volume;
• facial asymmetry;
• previous filler treatment;
• skin and soft-tissue quality;
• previous surgery or trauma;
• desired degree of correction.

Not every visible temple hollow needs treatment.

Someone with naturally lean facial anatomy may prefer to preserve some definition. Another patient with age-related volume loss may benefit from a modest restoration of contour.

The aim should be improvement, not complete erasure of normal anatomy.

How Much Temple Filler Is Needed?

There is no standard quantity that is right for everyone.

The amount required depends on the depth of the hollow, the anatomy on each side of the face, the product selected and the treatment objective.

Some patients require relatively modest correction.

Others may have more significant bilateral volume loss.

For this reason, published averages or quantities seen in before-and-after posts should not be treated as a personal prescription.

The total treatment plan should be decided after assessment.

How Long Does Temple Filler Last?

How long does temple filler last depends on the specific product used, its placement, the quantity injected and individual patient factors.

One clinical study involving 75 patients treated with a specific cross-linked hyaluronic acid filler documented measurable improvement in temporal hollowing and tissue thickness at 12 months.

Read the temple filler longevity study on PubMed

That does not mean every temple filler lasts exactly one year.

Different products and treatment techniques behave differently.

Previous filler should also be assessed before automatically adding more product according to a calendar. A top-up should be based on what is actually present and what the face currently needs.

Is Temple Filler Safe?

Most reported effects following temple filler are temporary.

The 2025 systematic review of 881 patients found that the most commonly reported effects included pain, tenderness or pressure, bruising and swelling.

However, the temple is also an anatomically complex treatment area containing important blood vessels.

Rare vascular complications can therefore be serious.

Filler entering or compromising a blood vessel can potentially interfere with blood supply to the surrounding tissues. Very rare filler-related visual complications have also been described because facial blood vessels have connections with vessels supplying the eye.

The NHS advises people considering dermal fillers to check what product is being used and the practitioner’s qualifications, training and experience. It also notes that serious filler complications can include infection, nerve damage and blindness.

Read NHS guidance on choosing a cosmetic practitioner

Warning symptoms following filler can include severe or rapidly increasing pain, unusual blanching or mottled skin colour, skin deterioration or visual disturbance.

Visual symptoms following dermal filler require urgent medical assessment.

DRV Clinic’s Aesthetic Complications and Corrections London guide explains filler complications and warning signs in more detail.

Most temple-filler appointments do not result in severe complications.

The reason these risks are discussed is that recognising an unusual problem quickly matters.

Can Temple Filler Migrate or Look Uneven?

An unwanted temple contour does not automatically mean that filler has migrated.

Possible explanations include:

• swelling;
• excessive volume;
• product placement;
• natural asymmetry;
• residual previous filler;
• product characteristics;
• true displacement or migration.

Assessment is important before deciding what has happened.

Our Filler Migration London guide explains why puffiness, placement and anatomy can sometimes resemble migration.

If hyaluronic acid filler is responsible for an unwanted result, treatment with hyaluronidase may be considered in appropriate circumstances.

DRV Clinic’s Filler Dissolving and Hyaluronidase guide explains this process in more detail.

Not every type of filler can be dissolved in the same way.