The structure of your face is mainly determined by your genetic background and ethnic ancestry. How do you know if you have high vs low cheekbones? Your malar bones define your cheekbones. There are various ways to accentuate your cheeks to make them seem higher, we’ll cover makeup strategies, cheek volumiser, facelift surgery and facial fat transfer surgery.
Understanding Cheekbone Placement
A low cheekbone is when your malar bone is closer to the bottom of your nose. Your cheekbones are considered high cheekbones when your malar bones are located closely below your eyes.
High cheekbones are often considered key to a good side profile. Defined cheekbones can create a fuller appearance. We’ll cover a question many people ask – how to get cheekbones to be more defined?
Facial Features and Cheekbone Width
There are different types of cheekbones, they vary based on height and width. Do you know if you have high vs low cheekbones?
Wide Cheekbones
Diamond, heart-shaped and oval face shapes tend to have wide cheekbones, which is when the cheekbones are significantly wider than the forehead or jawline.
Celebrities with Wide Cheekbones
Beyonce has an oval-shaped face, with wider cheekbones than both her forehead and jawline. This facial feature means she boasts wide cheekbones.
Kourtney Kardashian has wide cheekbones. Her heart-shaped face means her malar bones are the widest part of her face.
High Cheekbones
High cheekbones occur when the cheekbones are closer towards the bottom of your eyes rather than the bottom of your nose. A high cheekbones smile can give your face a sharp cheekbones look.
Celebrities with High Cheekbones
Margot Robbie has high cheekbones as well as wide cheekbones and she has a heart-shaped face.
The late Steve Irwin’s prominent cheekbones illustrate high cheekbones, positioned near the bottom of his eyes.
Chris Hemsworth’s cheeks have minimal curves so they don’t appear sharp, however, because the malar bones are located closely under his eyes they are considered high cheekbones.
Low Cheek Bones
Low cheekbones occur when the cheekbones are closer towards the bottom of your nose.
Celebrities with Low Cheekbones
Nicole Kidman’s face contains a subtle shape on her cheeks, coupled with low cheekbones that are closer towards her nose.
Angelina Jolie’s prominent cheekbones are low, closer towards the bottom of her nose than her eyes.
Addressing Cheek Laxity
As you grow older, your cheeks can decrease in volume and become hollow due to a decreased amount of collagen being produced. To address cheek laxity there are surgical options available.
You can also use makeup to highlight your cheekbones or non-surgical dermal volumisers to add more volume to the area. Another option to address cheek laxity is a facelift, which tightens loose skin to achieve higher-looking cheeks.
Surgical Solutions for Cheekbones
Facelift
A facelift is an option to reduce the signs of facial laxity.
During the aging process:
- The bones in your face – including your cheekbones change shape and size.
- Your skin elasticity decreases and generally doesn’t have as much fat, which causes cheek laxity.
- Your skin can get more skin folds, under your chin, on the sides of your neck, or on the corners of your mouth.
A facelift can reduce the signs of loose or excess skin. Dr Doyle always pairs a Neck Lift with a Face Lift to ensure the facelift matches your neck area. Other options include a Mini Face Lift or Brow Lift. Learn more with this Facelift Guide.
Facial Fat Transfer
You can also address your cheeks with a facial fat transfer treatment. In this procedure, the fat comes from your body and is transferred into a facial area of your choice. This is generally in the cheeks, under-eyes or nasolabial folds. You may be recommended to consider combining face fat grafting with other procedures.
Dr Doyle’s Facial Package
Dr Doyle offers a complete lower facial surgery plan that includes a Lower Face and Neck Lift and Platysmal Band treatment, Fat Transfer to the Face and Chin Liposuction where needed. Every facial surgery treatment plan is customised to your anatomy.
Non-Surgical Options for High Cheekbones
Cheek Dermal Voumisers
Cheekbone volumisers are a non-surgical option to increase lost volume and raise your cheekbones.
Dermal Volumiser can correct volume loss by inserting a soft gel. The gel is made from hyaluronic acid, a sugar molecule that naturally occurs in the body.
Many people ask – how long does volumiser last in the cheeks? Cheek volumisers can generally last from 6 months up to 2 years. The length of time is different for everyone because your metabolism affects how long it takes for the volumiser to gradually break down. Learn more with this Cosmetic Non-Surgical Treatment Guide.
Please note that due to TGA guidelines, we are unable to advertise the brand names of treatments on our website. However, we stock the leading brands of all non-surgical options and can discuss these freely during your consultation.
Cheekbone with Makeup Techniques
- Apply makeup beneath the malar bones and blend upwards
- You can use a highlighter to highlight the top of the cheekbones and highlight your cheekbones.
Final Thoughts: Which Option is Best?
There are a variety of ways to define the cheekbones without undergoing surgery. Options to define the cheeks include makeup techniques, facial non-surgical, facelifts and facial fat transfer.
Have you tried any of these methods for defining your cheekbones? Always consult a medical professional before deciding on a treatment. Book a consultation with Dr Doyle to explore which option may be best for you.
About Dr Mark Doyle FRACS (Plas) – Queensland Plastic Surgeon
Servicing patients in Gold Coast, Brisbane, Sunshine Coast, Cairns and New South Wales NSW – Northern Rivers, Byron Bay, Ballina, Lismore and more.
Dr Mark Doyle is a fully qualified Specialist Plastic Surgeon with over 30 years of experience performing breast, body, face and nose surgery. He has completed all required training and only carries out approved surgical practices. There are NO undertrained doctors or cosmetic doctors acting as surgeons at Gold Coast Plastic Surgery.
