Plump, rounded cheeks give most faces a youthful look, while sagging cheeks often indicate aging, and sunken cheeks are frequently associated with ill health. A fuller face with chubby cheeks is in fashion, and if you want chubby cheeks, you have options.

For example, you could undergo a cosmetic procedure, such as fat transfer surgery, or receive an injection of a dermal filler, such as Voluma. Or you could try some more natural approaches that, although not necessarily embraced by the medical community, many people believe to be effective.

Dry skin: 7 home remedies

13 Natural ways to get chubbier cheeks

There are a number of natural methods and home remedies trusted by many to get chubby cheeks. Some require a physical action, some require topical application, and some are based on consumption.

1. Facial exercise

Also called “facial yoga,” facial exercises tone the facial muscles for a more youthful appearance. A 2018 Trusted SourcestudyTrusted Source of people doing 30-minutes of facial exercises daily for eight weeks yielded faces that were “firmer and more shaped like a younger face.”

Some facial yoga exercises include:

  • Lift the cheek muscles while pursing your lips together and smiling. Then, put the fingers of each hand on either side of your mouth and lift your cheeks by sliding your fingers up to the top of your cheeks. Hold the position for 20 seconds.
  • Closing your mouth, fill your cheeks with as much air as they can contain. Hold the position for 45 seconds before slowly blowing the air out.
  • Open your mouth into an “O” with your lips over your teeth and smiling. Then put the fingers of each hand on the tops of the corresponding cheek and gently lift and lower your cheeks for a period of 30 seconds.

2. Apply aloe

Among other ingredients beneficial for skin, aloe vera contains the antioxidants vitamin C and vitamin E. For this reason, many people believe that applying aloe to the cheeks has an anti-aging effect.

Shop for aloe vera gel.

3. Eat aloe

A studyTrusted Source published in the journal Annals of Dermatology showed that women who consumed about a teaspoon of aloe vera gel for 90 days showed improvement in facial elasticity. This may or may not help you get chubby cheeks. Be aware that some people may be sensitive or allergic to aloe.

4. Apply apple

Many consider apples to help the skin maintain a youthful appearance because it has high amounts of:

One of the ways to use apple to get chubbier cheeks suggested by these proponents is an apple “mask.” Grate an apple, rub it on your face, and leave it there for 20 minutes before gently washing the mask off with water.

5. Eat apples

Many people believe that, because they contain antioxidants and vitamins A, B, and C, apples should be eaten regularly to prevent tissue damage. Some claim the collagen and elastin in apples keeps your skin looking soft and plump.

6. Apply glycerin and rose water

Many people suggest that a half-and-half combination of rose water and glycerin rubbed on your cheeks before bedtime will keep the skin clean and hydrated, promoting a youthful appearance.

Shop for glycerin and rose water.

7. Apply honey

Many believe honey will create a youthful look on the cheeks because of its moisturizing and antibacterial properties. Some suggest making a mask of equal parts honey and papaya paste. Rub the mixture on your cheeks and wait 10 minutes before rinsing it off with warm water.

8. Eat honey

Some people suggest that eating 9–10 tablespoons of honey a day will supply, among other nutrients, antioxidants that benefit skin.

9. Apply milk

Because it’s water, fat, and proteins, many people feel that applying milk to the cheeks will clean and moisturize them.

10. Drink milk

Milk contains many nutrients that promote healthy skin:

Many people suggest drinking three cups of milk daily to promote healthy skin.

11. Apply oil

It’s claimed that certain oils rubbed on the skin of the cheeks will moisturize and enrich the skin to promote a rounded, healthy appearance.

Suggested oils include:

12. Apply shea butter

Shea butter has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties because it has a high percentage of:

  • triterpenes
  • tocopherol
  • phenols
  • sterols

Some shea butter proponents suggest mixing 2 cups of shea butter with 1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar to use as a post-shower cheek regimen. Massage the paste into the cheeks for 5 minutes, let sit for 10 additional minutes, and then gently rinse off with warm water.

13. Nuts and seeds

Proponents of eating nuts and seeds for younger looking skin indicate that their benefit comes from the healthy fats they contain.

Additional tips for chubby cheeks

  • Wear sunscreen. When outside, sunscreen on your face will protect your skin from harmful ultraviolet rays. Shop for sunscreen.
  • Avoid wearing makeup. Allowing your skin to breathe should help it keep a youthful appearance. Always remove your makeup and thoroughly wash your face before you go to bed.
  • Stop smoking and avoid drinking alcohol. These habits can make you look older by causing your skin to lose elasticity.
  • Drink water. Keeping your body properly hydrated will help your skin maintain a youthful appearance.

If you have sunken cheeks, you might want to plump them up to gain a more youthful appearance. Try massaging your cheek muscles to improve circulation and elasticity, or consider applying a natural remedy to nourish and soften your skin for a dewy glow. While most natural techniques will not make your cheeks physically chubbier, they may make your skin smoother and firmer. Try out a few makeup techniques to round out your face and make the apples of your cheeks pop. Once you’ve got your cheeks looking plump and perky, don’t forget to smile often!

Improving Circulation

  1. Massage your cheeks to lift and brighten your skin. When giving yourself a facial massage, work your fingertips in soft, circular motions around your cheek area. Make sure you move your skin up and outward; avoid pushing it down as this may encourage sagging. Focus on your cheekbones, cheek cavities, and the area near your nostrils, as well as the bottom of your cheeks near your jawline.

2. Practice face yoga to improve the circulation in your cheeks. Open your mouth wide and curl your upper and lower lips inward so that they cover your front teeth. Keep them taut over your teeth draw the corners of your mouth outward. Gently shift your jaw forward, too. Stay in this position for about 30 seconds. You’ll feel tightness around your cheek muscles and mouth area. Release to a normal resting face when you’re done. Repeat this exercise 5 times per day.[2]

  • When practicing face yoga, sit upright, open up your chest, and lower your shoulders to release the tension in your body.
  • Similar exercises include puffing up your cheeks into a fish-face and pretending you’re blowing balloons.
  • If you follow this technique, no extra fat or skin will actually develop in your cheeks. However, the gentle facial exercise will stimulate circulation in your cheeks which might make your skin look more radiant and full.

3. Pinch your cheeks to give them a naturally rosy color. Use your thumb and index finger to gently squeeze the fleshy portion of your cheeks. Work gently but quickly, pinching each cheek about 10 times. While pinching your cheeks won’t actually make them plumper, this practice will draw more blood into your cheeks to give your skin a natural blush.

  • Brighter, rosier cheeks look more youthful and healthy compared to colorless ones.
  • The rosiness might only last a few minutes, but it’s a great trick to use before taking a photo or when making a first impression.

Applying Topical Treatments

1. Keep your face moisturized to soften and hydrate your cheeks. Use a gentle facial lotion or moisturizing cream on your cheeks on a daily basis. Apply it to damp skin, directly after every shower and every time you wash your face. Let it soak into your skin; don’t rinse it off. Choose a moisturizer with SPF properties to protect your cheeks from sun damage.

  • Try an emollient cream containing glycerin or petroleum jelly. These creams are specially formulated to soothe dry and damaged skin.
  • While moisturizers won’t add volume to your cheeks, they will make dry skin soft and dewy, giving you an overall healthier, more youthful appearance.

2. Apply glycerin and rosewater to repair the collagen in your cheeks. Combine 1⁄2  tsp (2.5 mL) of rosewater with 1  tsp (4.9 mL) of undiluted glycerin. Store the solution in the refrigerator, and massage it into clean skin every night just before bed. Leave it on overnight and rinse your face off in the morning.

  • After about a week, you’ll start to notice softer, plumper skin around your cheek area.
  • Glycerin keeps the skin hydrated and helps repair damaged collagen, while rosewater can help hydrate and calm irritated or dry skin.

3. Use aloe vera gel to improve your skin’s elasticity. About 30 minutes before you take a shower, massage aloe vera gel directly onto your cheeks and allow it to soak in. Or apply the gel to your face and rinse it off about 30 minutes later with warm water. Repeat this process daily to soften and plump up your cheeks.

  • Alternatively, you could drink an 8 oz (250 ml) glass of food-grade aloe vera juice each morning. Try this for about a month and see if you notice any change in your complexion.
  • The Vitamin E and antioxidants in aloe vera help reduce inflammation and may help tighten up sagging skin.

4. Massage milk and honey into your cheeks to keep the skin soft and smooth. Look for an organic face mask with milk or honey listed as ingredients. Or combine 1  tsp (4.9 mL) of milk with 1  tsp (4.9 mL) of honey to make a homemade treatment. Rub this paste onto your cheeks and allow it to sit there for about 20 minutes before you rinse it off. Try this once a day for a week.

  • Try cream or yogurt instead for even softer skin.
  • When used topically, honey acts as a humectant, attracting and trapping moisture in the skin. Milk provides nourishing proteins and helps boost skin cell and collagen repair. As a result, your skin may look healthier and plumper after a milk and honey face mask.
  • Try drinking a glass of milk every day, too, so your body benefits from its nutrients.

5. Use a shea butter and sugar scrub to exfoliate your cheeks. Mix together 1 cup (240 mL) of melted shea butter with 3⁄4 cup (180 mL) of granulated sugar. Refrigerate this mixture until it solidifies, then apply the scrub to damp skin using gentle circular motions. Leave it on for 5 minutes before rinsing it off with warm water. Use a soft towel to pat your skin dry when you’re finished.

  • The sugar is a gentle exfoliant, so it can scrub away dead skin cells on your cheeks that would otherwise make the skin look dull.
  • Shea butter is high in fatty acids and vitamins, so it can help soften your skin. You can just apply plain shea butter if you want to nourish your cheeks without exfoliating.
  • As an alternative, substitute the shea butter for milk, yogurt, or cream for another nourishing sugar scrub.

6. Make an apple paste to plump up your cheeks. Apples contain many nutrients and vitamins that benefit your skin, so applying them topically can work wonders. Chop up 1 whole apple into chunks and use a potato masher or a handheld blender to mash it into a sauce-like consistency. Apply this paste directly to your cheeks, and leave it on for about 20 minutes before rinsing off with warm water.

  • Apples are full of antioxidants as well as vitamins A, B, and C, which can help prevent tissue damage and wrinkles. They also contain collagen and elastin, which keep your skin looking soft and plump.
  • You can also drink fresh apple juice and snack on apples on a daily basis to add the fruit’s benefits in your diet.

7. Rub natural oils into your cheeks to give your cheeks a healthy glow. After washing your face, massage a few drops of oil onto your cheeks and leave the oil on overnight. Try coconut oil, olive oil, almond oil, fenugreek oil, or avocado oil.

  • Although your skin naturally produces its own oils, applying natural oils topically can keep your skin looking dewy and perky.
  • Work healthy fats and oils into your diet, too. Cook with olive oil, eat plenty of fish, and eat nuts as a snack.

Takeaway

A fuller face with plump cheeks can make you look youthful and healthy. There are many ways to get chubby cheeks, including surgery and injections.

Some people also believe you can get chubby cheeks naturally, although these methods are not proven medically. From facial exercises to direct facial application of natural ingredients, to eating specific foods, there could be a way that is best for you to get chubby cheeks.

Before you try any home remedy, be sure to check with your doctor to make sure that it a safe activity for you to try.