Drew Barrymore’s Malar Bags: What They Reveal About Causes and Solutions

Drew Barrymore is now 50 years old. For many years, malar bags on the cheekbones have been noticeable in photographs. She is usually photographed with a smile, but even when she smiles, the under-eye bags sometimes appear.

Predisposition to festoons

Signs of the edematous-deformation morphotype were noticeable in her childhood. Even then it was visible how the ligaments lie, which indicates a tendency to form malar bags.

Age-related changes

After 40 years, malars become more noticeable because the deep fat pads begin to resorb. The ligament in this area is dense, but also stretches with age. Hypertrophy and ptosis of the superficial fat pads (nasolabial and malar) aggravate the situation.

After 35–40 years the hormonal background also changes; puffiness appears even in those who were not prone to swelling.
Malar fat is superficial and quickly attracts water.

Factors provoking puffiness

• Insufficient or improper sleep
• Alcohol
• Overeating carbohydrates and salt
• Stress
• Insulin resistance
• Lack of movement

! It is recommended to limit the amount of fluid after 18:00, adjust nutrition and hormonal background, and also do lymphatic drainage procedures to relieve the face.

Possibilities of correction

It is practically impossible to completely get rid of malar bags with such a structure, but their severity can be significantly reduced.

Apparatus and injection methods:

Microneedle RF + ultrasound SMAS-lifting

• Reduce the volume of fatty tissue
• Tighten skin stretched by swelling
• Tighten ligaments

Monopolar RF (Oligio, Thermage)

• “Seats” fatty tissue
• It is better to perform not locally on the malars but comprehensively on the whole face to obtain a lifting effect.

Filler under the ligament

• Calcium hydroxyapatite (Radiesse) is suitable because it does not attract water
• Restores the volume of the deep fat pad and hides the malar
• Additionally, gentle warming of the subcutaneous fat is possible for greater compaction.

Features in thin and full faces

On faces with a good volume of subcutaneous fat it is easier to hide malar fat pads—they can be “pressed in.”
In thin faces the ligaments are denser, and with the loss of even a small weight (1 kg) malars immediately become outlined.

Recommended procedures for thin faces

• Microneedle RF
• Ultrasound SMAS-lifting (better under ultrasound control)
• Injection of filler under the ligament
• Sometimes light separation of the ligament

Observations of changes in Drew

At 40–43 years the festoons became more noticeable

At 46 years there is a clear sagging of the ligaments and descent of fat pads

At 46–47 years the bags were periodically almost smoothed out, which indicates the performance of cosmetic procedures

At 49–50 years Drew lost weight, which made the facial features more defined

Despite public statements in favor of naturalness, care and maintenance of appearance are still present.