Fillers often can give you a puffy ‘pillow face.’ Tips to avoid that look

Q. What’s with all the volume in people’s face? I want to have some fillers, but I don’t want to have a fat, pudgy face. Can you do fillers without making them look so obvious?

A. Fillers are fantastic when done properly. The goal is to restore subtle volume loss and enhance natural features, not to create a “pillow face.” Most people who get fillers done right are completely indistinguishable from those who haven’t had anything done.

The key is using the right product in the right place. I typically use hyaluronic acid fillers because they integrate well with the tissue and can be adjusted over time. I tend to avoid stimulatory fillers like poly-L-lactic acid, which can lead to a puffy, overly full look, especially when people chase volume that was never meant to be there in the first place.

Unfortunately, we’re seeing a bit of a cultural shift where people lose sight of what natural beauty looks like. They keep adding more, thinking it makes them look younger, when in fact, it just makes them look “done.” More is not always better.

My philosophy is always to enhance, not inflate. Fillers should be invisible. You should see results, not product. Choose a physician or injector whose patients look normal.

Dr. Carlos Wolf is a partner in Miami Plastic Surgery and is board certified. Email questions to him at Cwolf@miamiplasticsurgery.com