If you look at the top male models walking the runways today, they almost all share one specific facial feature. It isn’t just about having a good haircut or clear skin. It is about the bone structure. Specifically, it is the sharp, highly defined contrast between the cheekbones and the jawline.
This creates a shadowed area in the middle of the face. In the looksmaxxing and modeling communities, this is known as having hollow cheeks.
Having a hollow-cheeked appearance instantly makes a face look sharper, highly dominant, and incredibly masculine. It is the signature look of guys like Sean O'Pry. It gives off that elite, high-class fashion model vibe that everyone is currently trying to achieve.
But getting that deeply sculpted look isn’t always straightforward. Today, we are going to break down exactly what causes sunken cheeks, whether you need surgery, and how to get hollow cheeks naturally through diet, habits, and facial mechanics. Stick around until the end, because I’m also going to share the exact secret trick supermodels use to get that hollow look instantly for the camera.
What Does it Mean to Have Hollow Cheeks?
So, what does it mean to have hollow cheeks from an anatomical standpoint? The shape of your mid-face is largely determined by three things: your bone structure, your jaw muscles, and the amount of fat stored inside your cheeks.
The fat pads inside your face are known as the buccal fat pads. While these pads help with basic muscle movement, they also contribute significantly to rounding out your facial contours.
People with sunken in cheeks usually have a very small amount of buccal fat and an overall low body fat percentage. But fat is only half the equation. To get that true hollowed look, you need contrast. You need strong, laterally grown cheekbones pushing out at the top, and well-developed masseter (jaw) muscles at the bottom.
When the bones and muscles protrude, the area in between them (the cheek) sinks inward, creating that highly desired shadow.
Are Hollow Cheeks Attractive?
There has been a massive cultural shift, driven heavily by social media and the looksmaxxing community, toward favoring sculpted, sunken cheekbones over a youthful, plump appearance.
So, are hollow cheeks attractive? In the world of male aesthetics, the answer is usually yes. They add a level of ruggedness and angularity to the face. When a man has flattened cheeks and a sharp jaw, it highlights his dimorphism (masculine traits).
However, it is important to remember that while cheekbones are an important facial feature, they are generally less critical to overall attractiveness than having good eye support or a properly aligned jaw. All facial structures can be attractive, and there is no actual health advantage to having hollowing cheeks. It is purely an aesthetic trend.
Are Hollow Cheeks Genetic?
A lot of guys get frustrated when they lose weight but still have a round face. This leads to the biggest question: are hollow cheeks genetic?
Yes, your natural bone structure plays a massive role in how your face looks. Some people are just genetically predisposed to having less fat in their face. More importantly, genetics dictate your bone placement.
If your cheekbones are naturally flat and lack forward projection (which is linked to your maxilla development), weight loss alone may not result in that sunken look. Ideal cheekbones grow laterally to contribute to facial width. If you don’t have that wide bone structure to "stretch" the skin, the cheeks won't hollow out properly.
Age is another massive factor. As we age, our bodies produce less collagen, and the natural fat pads in our face diminish. This is why your face naturally gets slimmer and more hollowed out in your late 20s and 30s.
How to Get Hollow Cheeks Naturally
If you don't have supermodel genetics, you might be wondering how to get hollowed cheeks without going under the knife. While you can't change your genetics, you can absolutely maximize your facial potential. Here is how to get hollow cheekbones naturally.
1. Lower Your Overall Body Fat
You will almost never find someone with a higher body weight who has hollow cheekbones. To decrease facial fat, you must first achieve a low overall body fat percentage. This requires hitting the gym, lifting heavy, and staying in a caloric deficit.2. Eliminate Facial Bloating
Water retention is the enemy of a sharp face. If you hold water in your face, it will completely hide your bone structure. To debloat, you need to cut out the things that cause inflammation.
This means dropping sodium, avoiding alcohol, cutting out refined carbs, and avoiding lactose or milk if you are sensitive to it. Drinking a massive amount of water actually flushes out retention. Many people also find that intermittent fasting helps significantly with morning face bloat.
3. The Supermodel Cold Spoon Trick
When we wake up, our faces naturally look puffy and bloated from lying flat all night. A classic trick supermodels use to fight this is the cold spoon method.
Keep a couple of metal spoons in your fridge. When you wake up, press the cold spoons gently over your closed eyes and along your cheekbones. The extreme cold constricts blood vessels, instantly reducing puffiness and helping to flatten cheeks back to their normal state.
4. Master Your Facial Mechanics
The looksmaxxing community talks a lot about muscle hypertrophy. If you want sunken cheeks, you need masseter muscles to create contrast. You can build these by chewing properly with your molars and using mastic gum.
Equally important is what you shouldn't do. You must avoid over-activating your buccinator (cheek) muscles. When you swallow, you should only use your tongue (proper swallowing pattern), not your cheeks. Constantly using your cheek muscles to swallow or drink from straws makes them thicker, rounding out your face.
5. Proper Tongue Posture (Mewing)
Maintaining proper tongue posture against the roof of the mouth influences maxilla and palate development. While the best results happen at a younger age, keeping the tongue up provides the necessary internal support for the mid-face, preventing a saggy, flat facial appearance.
Targeted Facial Exercises
While you cannot spot-reduce fat, you can use facial exercises and Gua Sha tools to promote lymphatic drainage and tone the underlying muscles. Here are a few exercises to try:
- The Cheek Lifter: Open your mouth and make an “O,” allowing your upper lip to fold over your top teeth. Smile to lift your cheeks. Place your fingers on the top part of each cheek, hold for 10 seconds, and release.
- The Cheek Sculptor: Smile without showing your teeth. Press your lips together and smile wider to force your cheek muscles up. Gently slide your fingers up to the apples of your cheeks and hold for 20 seconds.
- Kiss the Ceiling: Tilt your head backward so you are looking straight up. Pucker your lips to simulate a kissing motion. Hold for a few seconds, then relax.
- Hollow Cheeks Surgery: Buccal Fat Removal
- For some, diet and exercise aren't enough due to their genetics. This has led to a massive spike in hollow cheeks surgery, specifically buccal fat removal.
This surgery has become incredibly trendy in the past few years among celebrities and in the modeling world. Agencies often look for that razor-sharp definition for high-fashion photoshoots.
The procedure takes about an hour and is usually done under local anesthesia. A surgeon makes a small incision on the inside of the mouth to pull out the buccal fat pads, leaving no visible scarring. Recovery takes a few weeks, and the results are permanent. Average costs range from $2,000 to $5,000.
Jordan Barrett Hollow Cheeks
One of the most famous examples of this look is Australian supermodel Jordan Barrett. Before, he had relatively normal, slightly fuller cheeks. However, his face eventually transformed, becoming incredibly hollowed and angular.
His transformation sparked a massive debate on the internet. While his razor-sharp face solidified his high-fashion status, many warned about the long-term effects of removing facial fat. Because we naturally lose facial fat as we age, removing the buccal pads early in life can lead to a severely gaunt, skeletal appearance later on. It is a permanent risk.
Dermal Fillers and Implants
If you don't want to remove fat, the other option is to add volume to the bones to create the illusion of a hollow cheek.
- Cheek Implants: Malar implants are placed directly on top of the cheekbones to give them more height and lateral projection. This stretches the skin and creates a shadow underneath.
- Hollow Cheeks Filler: Getting cheek filler is a heavily utilized, non-surgical alternative. A doctor injects hyaluronic acid fillers along the cheekbone to enhance its shape. It is highly common, with millions of people getting dermal fillers for hollow cheeks every year.
How to Get Hollow Cheeks in 5 Seconds
If you don't want to deal with diets, chewing gum, or surgery, there is one final trick. If you are just trying to look better for an Instagram picture, you can learn how to get hollow cheeks in 5 seconds.
It is a simple camera trick: just gently suck your cheeks in and bite down lightly on your back molars.
This instantly creates that hollow cheek look on camera. It sounds silly, but it works. In fact, some of the highest-paid and most successful male models in the world have openly admitted that they actively suck their cheeks in during professional photoshoots to enhance their bone structure under the studio lighting.
So, Should You Actually Try to Get Hollow Cheeks?
Achieving the perfect hollow-cheeked look is a combination of low body fat, managed water retention, and lucky bone structure. While social media makes it seem like a mandatory feature for attractiveness, the reality is that your overall facial harmony matters much more.
If you want to sharpen your face, start with the natural route. Fix your diet, get your body fat down, chew properly, and use the cold spoon trick to fight morning bloat. If you are considering hollow cheeks filler or buccal fat removal, make sure you understand the long-term risks.