How to avoid celebrity ‘pillow face’ that leaves people unrecognizable

An aesthetician has shed some light on so-called ‘pillow face’ among celebrities that make them appear puffy.

Filler doesn’t dissolve but can migrate, which is why some A-listers can experience the phenomenon, which is not just caused by cosmetic tweaks gone wrong but by too much filler that moves under the skin. 

It’s the opposite of narrow Ozempic face; instead a person’s cheeks and lips can look extremely overblown, puffy, and unnatural. 

‘So, we now have an explanation of the pillow face phenomenon, which is that filler does not just dissolve or metabolize over time,’ aesthetician Jayme B. announced to her followers in a now viral TikTok video with more than 3,500 comments.  

Instead of simply dissolving naturally, filler ‘migrates or spreads to other areas of your face and continues to cause tissue expansion,’ she warned.

Jayme said ‘the people who make a habit of getting filler regularly’ end up with more bloated faces, which makes sense as there’s more gel-like substance in their body. 

She flashed up recent pictures of Madonna and Chrissy Teigen, both of whom have shocked their fans with their changing appearances. 

The photos of Madonna were from her appearance at the Grammys, an event that sparked furious plastic surgery speculation from stunned onlookers. 

At the time of the awards show in February, viewers flooded social media with confused comments, with one person writing: ‘Madonna doesn’t quite look like Madonna to me.’

Another said: ‘Madonna needs to stop with the plastic surgery and embrace the aging process. She’s nearly unrecognizable at this point.’

Weeks later, Madonna responded to the social media firestorm in a tongue-in-cheek post.

‘Look how cute i am now that swelling from surgery has gone down. Lol,’ she wrote with a photo of her kicking back in ripped jeans and a ‘Spiritually Hungry’ hat.

Meanwhile Chrissy received similar feedback after a beauty Instagram account accused her of ruining her face with fillers last summer. 

Commenters at the time said: ‘She was beautiful before. Not sure why she destroyed her face like that,’ as another added, ‘Why do these celebrities want puffy cheeks?’

But the mom of four wasn’t afraid to hit back. Chrissy shut it down by replying, ‘No mean intentions? But saying this could be your face if you do it wrong? You’re a piece of sh**. I gained weight.’ 

Back in September 2021, Chrissy revealed on her Instagram Stories that she underwent buccal fat removal surgery, a procedure to remove fat from her cheeks to define her jawline.

In her video, Jayme further explained that while she hasn’t worked in a med spa in close to three years, she always knew there was a possibility of the filler seeping into other areas of the face and in fact, it ‘almost seems like a guarantee.’

She believes ‘the dialogue about how long it lasts’ has changed, because people used to be assured filler lasted six to 12 months, but now it seemed to be even longer. 

Jayme asked other injectors if the protocol now was to do a round of dissolvent before putting in more filler and what people were telling their patients about how long the treatment would last. 

‘What’s your opinion on filler outside of the lips messing with your lymph system?’ she asked, motioning to her cheekbones.

She also questioned if it was a dying trend, to which one person in her comments section said it was because it ‘becomes semi-permanent’ so there’s no need to do regular upkeep. 

‘I’ve never been so happy that I’ve never had filler,’ another commenter responded after learning about the pillow face effect, as someone else said they were thrilled that they were ‘too broke for this stuff.’ 

One person brought up that MRIs prove that filler can spread, which made them realize ‘they never want to touch filler.’

Another warned, ‘Dissolver doesn’t always work either’ – and it can also lead to extreme allergic reactions. 

Plenty of people in the comments shared that their filler did not dissolve after a year. 

One person explained they got filler only once almost three years ago and still see it, and another said they got their lips done in 2021 and they’re still full. 

‘I lost two friends to filler. They didn’t pass or anything, just couldn’t look at them any longer. Really sad,’ one commenter quipped. 

According to New York City-based plastic surgeon Dr. Amiya Presad’s website, the ‘pillow face’ look is caused when ‘filler migrates and creates a doughy look,’ leading to cheeks that look ‘large and disproportionate.’

However, not everyone thought it was due to filler migrating.

Some believed it was because people were simply getting too much filler, as one wrote, ‘That is not filler migration. That is overfilling. Filler migration is lumpy and moves to a different location.’ 

One person summed it up by saying, ‘Shortened answer: different rheology/technique/anatomy/metabolism all play unique roles with respect to migration, longevity, & results. Filler use for me is up, just better products now-a-days.’ 

An experienced injector explained: ‘The problem with filler is using it for people that don’t need it. For people who have volume loss it’s very effective. I still have lots of filler clients but I won’t fill if it’s not needed.’ 

Some people thought filler was over forever, with one saying, ‘I heard filler is dying out. Apparently treatments like needling and specialty facials are the go.’ 

The only dermal filler that is not absorbed by the body and approved by the FDA is made with polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) beads suspended in a solution that contains bovine collagen.