Dermal fillers can be injected in more places than most people realize. The face is by far the most common treatment area, with the lips, cheeks, jawline, chin, temples, under-eyes, nose, and forehead all being standard injection sites. Beyond the face, fillers are also used on the backs of the hands, and occasionally on areas like the neck, knees, and elbows. Each site has its own goals, risks, and expected longevity, so understanding the differences helps you know what to expect before you book a consultation.
Cheeks and Midface
The cheeks are one of the most popular filler sites because they anchor so much of the face’s overall shape. As you age, fat pads in the midface shrink and descend, which creates a flattened or hollow look and deepens the lines running from the nose to the mouth (nasolabial folds). Filler placed deep against the cheekbone restores that lost volume and can subtly lift the lower face as a result.
Thicker, firmer fillers work best here because they need to support the weight of the overlying tissue. These deep injections tend to cause less bruising and last longer than superficial ones, often holding up for 12 months or more, with some newer products lasting close to two years.
Lips and the Area Around the Mouth
Lip filler is the treatment most people think of first. It can add fullness to thin lips, improve symmetry, define the lip border, or smooth the fine vertical lines that form above the upper lip. The area just around the mouth contains a fat pad that practitioners target for volumization, and the prejowl sulcus (the small dip that forms on either side of the chin) is another common perioral injection point.
Because your lips move constantly when you talk, eat, and make expressions, filler here breaks down faster than in more static areas. You can generally expect lip filler to last six to nine months before needing a touch-up. Softer, more flexible fillers are used in this area so the lips still look and feel natural when they move. The lip region is the most common site for mild complications like swelling and bruising, though serious events remain rare.
Under-Eyes and Tear Troughs
The tear trough is the shallow groove that runs from the inner corner of the eye down toward the cheek. When this area loses volume, it creates a tired, hollowed-out look and can make dark circles appear worse. Filler placed here sits deep, right against the bone of the orbital rim and beneath the muscle, so it doesn’t look lumpy or visible through the thin under-eye skin.
This is a technically demanding injection site. The under-eye area has complex blood vessel networks, and it’s classified as a moderate-risk zone. Very small amounts of filler are placed in precise spots rather than spread in a continuous line, which gives the injector maximum control. Results can be dramatic for the right candidate, but not everyone is a good fit. If the hollowness is caused more by loose skin or puffy fat pads than by volume loss, filler alone may not be the best solution.
Temples
Hollow temples are one of the earliest signs of facial aging, and they’re surprisingly easy to overlook. As the fat and muscle in this area thin out, the temples sink inward, creating a harsh shadow and making the forehead look wider or more angular. Restoring volume here softens the transition from the forehead down to the cheekbone, which gives the whole face a more youthful, rounded contour.
How deep the filler is placed depends on how much volume is needed. For mild hollowing, filler goes between the layers of tissue covering the temple. For more severe hollowing, the injector may place product deeper, closer to the bone beneath the muscle, to provide more substantial lift. Because the temple sits near important blood vessels, including one that connects to the blood supply of the eye, this is considered a moderate-risk area that requires solid anatomical knowledge.
Jawline and Chin
Jawline filler creates a sharper angle where the jaw meets the neck, adds definition to a soft or receding jaw, and can restore structure that’s been lost with age. Chin filler works similarly, projecting the chin forward to balance the profile, especially in people who feel their chin is small relative to their nose.
Both sites need firm, high-viscosity fillers because the chin and jaw experience constant compression and shearing forces from chewing and facial expressions. A softer product would flatten out quickly. Filler is typically placed deep, on or near the bone, which means less bruising and longer-lasting results. Many people see their jawline filler hold for a year or longer.
Nose
Non-surgical rhinoplasty uses filler to smooth bumps on the bridge, lift a drooping tip, or improve symmetry, all without surgery or downtime. It’s popular because the changes are immediate and the procedure takes minutes.
That said, the nose is one of the highest-risk injection sites on the entire face. It has a dense, complex web of blood vessels with direct connections to the arteries supplying the eyes. Filler injections for non-surgical rhinoplasty are the leading cause of filler-related vision loss. This doesn’t mean you should never consider it, but it does mean the injector’s experience and anatomical expertise matter enormously here.
Forehead and Glabella
The forehead can be treated with filler for two different goals. For overall volume loss, a firmer filler is placed deeper to lift and round out a flat or concave forehead. For horizontal forehead lines, a softer, thinner product is used closer to the surface to smooth the skin.
The glabella, the area between your eyebrows where “11 lines” form, is another common injection target. Like the nose, this area carries a very high risk of vascular complications because the blood vessels here connect directly to the eye’s blood supply. The glabella and nose together account for the majority of reported cases of filler-related blindness, placing them firmly in the highest-risk category.
Nasolabial Folds
The lines running from the sides of your nose to the corners of your mouth deepen as volume in the midface deflates. Treating them usually involves two layers of correction: a moderately firm filler placed deeper to restore the underlying volume loss, and sometimes a softer product closer to the surface to smooth the crease itself. Large-particle or very stiff fillers are avoided here because they can become visible through the skin. This area is considered moderate risk due to the facial artery running through it.
Hands
The backs of the hands are the main non-facial site with formal regulatory approval. As you age, fat loss in the hands makes tendons, veins, and bones increasingly visible, creating a skeletal look that can contrast sharply with a well-maintained face. A calcium-based filler suspended in gel is injected beneath the skin to restore volume and stimulate collagen production. Results typically last around 18 months.
Knees, Elbows, and Other Body Areas
Some practitioners use fillers off-label on the knees and elbows, where skin naturally loosens over time due to joint movement, sun exposure, and friction. Hyaluronic acid fillers and collagen-stimulating products are injected into the superficial to mid-layers of the skin to improve texture, reduce fine wrinkling, and boost collagen production. These treatments are usually part of a combination approach that may include skin-tightening devices, and they’re far less standardized than facial injections. The neck and décolletage (chest) are other off-label areas where fillers are sometimes used for crepey skin and volume loss.
How Location Affects How Long Fillers Last
Where filler is placed is one of the biggest factors determining how long your results will stick around. Deep injections placed on bone, like those in the cheeks, temples, jawline, and chin, last the longest because they sit in areas with minimal movement. You can expect 12 months or more from these sites, and sometimes up to two years with certain products.
Thinner fillers placed closer to the skin’s surface for fine lines and wrinkles typically last 6 to 12 months. The lips tend to fall on the shorter end of this range because the constant muscle movement breaks the filler down faster. If longevity is a priority, choosing a treatment area and product suited for deep placement will get you the most value per session.
Why Some Areas Carry More Risk
No injection site is completely without risk, but some zones demand far more caution than others. The face is divided into a rough hierarchy based on how close each area sits to critical blood vessels, particularly those connected to the eye’s blood supply.
- Highest risk: the nose, glabella (between the eyebrows), and forehead. These areas have direct vascular pathways to the eye and carry the greatest risk of vision loss from an accidental intravascular injection.
- Moderate risk: the temples, tear troughs, nasolabial folds, periorbital region, and medial cheek. These sites have significant arterial connections and require careful technique.
- Lower risk but not risk-free: the lips and jawline. Complications here are more common overall but tend to be milder, such as bruising, swelling, or small lumps.
The type of filler also matters. Products that can be dissolved, like hyaluronic acid fillers, offer a safety advantage because they can be reversed quickly if a problem occurs. Non-dissolvable fillers don’t have that option, which is one reason many injectors prefer hyaluronic acid for higher-risk zones.