Study examines effect of cheek volumisation on the nasolabial fold

A study published in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery has examined the effect of cheek volumisation on the nasolabial folds. 

The impression that cheek filling results in longitudinal shortening (“lift”) of the skin and elevation of the nasolabial crease or nasolabial fold has become common within the facial injection community. In this study, 77 patients were evaluated before and after injection of the cheeks with a hyaluronic acid filler using a three-dimensional camera system to substantiate this. 

A subgroup of 37 patients without differences in their preinjection and postinjection facial expression were analysed by direct comparison and failed to demonstrate lateral traction (or “pull”) on the intervening skin from the cheek injection site to the nasolabial crease. 

Furthermore, there was no photographic difference in the nasolabial fold or nasolabial crease, the authors noted. The only patients who demonstrated photographic improvement of the medial face were those who had filler placed directly in the transition between the lateral nasolabial fold and cheek (nasojugal crease). The authors concluded that filling the cheek with 3cc of volume does not create traction forces or move the skin between the site of injection and the nasolabial crease. It is likely that expanding the nasojugal crease is the direct visual cue that leads to perceived improvement in the nasolabial fold.