In short. The temporal crest, the brow tail and the outline of the upper face: why a change in this one region reads as a change to the whole face rather than to a small area.
Key points
- This is why a small change produces a large impression, and why the region is so often named in the same breath as the cheekbone and the brow.
- It is also why treating it in isolation can read as a change to one area rather than an improvement to a face.
A patient rarely says that her temple has changed. She says her face has changed, or that she looks tired, or that her cheekbones have become too prominent. All three describe what a change in this region does, because the temple is not a feature of the face so much as one of its boundaries.
The line the eye reads
In the upper face there is a continuous contour running from the outer corner of the brow down and out across the temple to the cheekbone. In a younger face it curves outward. As the region loses volume the same line flattens and then curves inward, and the upper face changes from widening towards the cheek to narrowing above it.
Why the brow and the cheekbone are pulled into it
The tail of the brow sits at the upper edge of this region and the cheekbone at the lower edge, so both are read against it. A temple that has fallen away makes the brow tail look lower and the cheekbone look more prominent than either of them is. Patients often describe the result as gaunt, and the word describes the effect well.
The temple is a boundary, not a feature
This is why a small change produces a large impression, and why the region is so often named in the same breath as the cheekbone and the brow. It is also why treating it in isolation can read as a change to one area rather than an improvement to a face.
The outline as a whole
Follow the outline of the upper face: from the jaw to the ear, up across the temple to the brow, and down the other side. In a face with full temples that line is close to a single smooth oval. Where the temples have hollowed it narrows above the cheekbone, and the upper face reads as a separate shape sitting on the lower one.
What the outline does not tell you
The temporal hairline is its upper border, and where that recedes the same hollow occupies a larger area of the face. What the outline cannot say is what produced the change: fat loss, bony remodelling, a hairline that has moved and a brow that has dropped all alter the same line. Reading proportion is the beginning of the assessment, not the end of it.
What to look at before deciding anything
- Whether the outline has changed, or was always narrow above the cheekbone.
- Whether the hairline has moved too, because that alone changes how large the region reads.
- Whether the change is being blamed on the cheekbone, which is usually read against the temple.
What produces the change in the outline is set out in why temples hollow with age. How the region and its borders are examined is described in the anatomy that decides the plan, and what volume can and cannot restore of this outline is set out in what temple volume cannot change.
Frequently asked questions
Why does such a small area change the whole face?
Because the temple is a boundary rather than a feature. The upper face narrows between the cheekbone and the brow, and the eye uses that narrowing to judge how wide the face is at the top. When the boundary moves inward, the forehead above it and the cheek below it are read differently, even though neither of them has changed at all.
Can a temple hollow make my cheekbones look bigger?
It can make them look more prominent, and that is not always what the patient wants. The cheekbone is read against the temple beside it, so a region that has fallen away makes the bone next to it stand out. Some patients describe this as their face having become bony or gaunt, when what has actually happened is a change in one region rather than in the cheek.
Does the hairline matter as much as the hollow?
It often matters more than patients expect. A temporal hairline that has receded exposes more of the region, so the same hollow occupies a larger visible area. Hairline change and fat loss commonly happen at the same time and are attributed to one another, which is one reason an assessment looks at both rather than at the temple alone.
Risks & Limitations
- Material placed into a named vessel in this region can travel and cause damage at a distance; this is uncommon and serious when it happens.
- The branch of the facial nerve that lifts the brow runs superficially here, and injury to it can produce brow weakness that may not fully recover.
- Bruising and swelling in this region are common and are more visible than the size of the area suggests; the result is judged months later, not at ten days.
- Overfilling is visible here earlier than on the cheek, because the region is shallow and its borders are close.
- A transfer of the patient's own fat is less predictable than an injectable, and more than one stage may be needed.
When to Seek Care
- Severe or increasing pain, a tense swollen area, or skin that is blistering or changing colour — seek urgent care.
- Blurred vision, loss of vision, or pain behind the eye — seek emergency care immediately.
- Weakness on one side of the face, or spreading redness with fever.
- Hollowing on one side only, or a change that appeared over weeks, which needs a medical assessment first.
References & Further Reading
- American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) — facial aesthetic surgery and safety guidance
- International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS) — global procedure and safety resources
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE, UK) — relevant guidance
- Cochrane Library — systematic reviews
- Chinese Medical Association Plastic Surgery Branch — clinical guidance
This page is patient education, not medical advice, and it does not cite individual studies. Discuss your own case with a qualified clinician. To arrange an assessment at Chongqing West District Hospital, see Contact & Consultation.