Featured Experts
Dr. David Gilpin, a board-certified facial plastic surgeon in Nashville, Tennessee
Dr. Michael Bassiri-Tehrani, a board-certified facial plastic surgeon in New York City
Dr. Jason Champagne, a board-certified facial plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills, California
Tighter skin and fewer wrinkles aren’t the only requests dermatologists and plastic surgeons are getting these days. Inquiries for face-shape changes are on the rise, particularly among younger people, according to Dr. David Gilpin, a board-certified facial plastic surgeon in Nashville, Tennessee. “Patients are asking for this every single day,” he says. “They’ll tell me they don’t like how round their face is or complain that they can’t see their jawline.” Dr. Michael Bassiri-Tehrani, a board-certified facial plastic surgeon in New York City, agrees, noting that they’re asking for transformative rather than restorative changes.
Here’s where things get interesting: all the doctors we spoke with agree that, whether people are consciously aware of it or not, there’s a universally coveted end result—a heart-shaped face, characterized by width in the upper third of the face and a tapered yet defined jawline. Conveniently enough, there’s a variety of treatments available that can help create this desired look, no matter the face shape you were born with. Here, more on the transformational abilities of five of the most effective options.
Buccal fat removal
Buccal fat removal is, more often than not, the first course of action for those who have a round face. Granted, especially when performed on its own, it isn’t going to entirely transform a circle into a heart, but it can definitely get you closer to that goal, says Dr. Gilpin. (More on how it can be combined with other treatments on this list, for even more of an effect, in a moment.) Filler isn’t a good choice here, because these patients already have enough volume and you don’t want to widen the face, notes Dr. Bassiri-Tehrani. “Removing buccal fat helps to create more of a contour without losing that top part of the heart shape,” he says.
Injectable filler
Fillers are the right pick when you want to augment the midface and lateral cheek, explains Dr. Bassiri-Tehrani, adding that this is often the choice for those with oval faces. “Building up the upper cheek helps to create that heart-shaped tapering from top to bottom,” he explains. Dr. Jason Champagne, a board-certified facial plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills, California, adds that he also relies on fillers for those who have weak jawlines that need to be enhanced. He uses hyaluronic acid options as well as Radiesse, injecting them deep along to bone in order to build up the jawline and make it more prominent.
Chin implant
Dr. Champagne says chin augmentation is the most popular type of implant surgery he performs. “People envision themselves having a stronger chin more than anything else, and many are, in fact, deficient in this area,” he explains. A chin implant will effectively elongate the chin, turning an oval or round face into more of a heart shape, he adds. And while filler is an alternative, an implant ultimately offers both more projection and structure. In many cases, you’d need an exorbitant amount of filler in order to achieve what you could with an implant, not to mention that the viscous, gel-like consistency of filler doesn’t have the same type of firmness, he explains. The other advantages a surgical augmentation has over injectables? Permanence as well as consistency. “With filler, you’re going to get a slightly different end result every time, whereas an implant will always look the same,” he says.
Masseter Botox
All the doctors we spoke with were quick to put this at the top of their lists of transformative treatments, particularly for women. “Clenching and grinding can lead to masseter hypertrophy, creating a square face—which, in general, is considered more masculine,” says Dr. Bassiri-Tehrani. (He adds that certain ethnicities are also more genetically predisposed to having a very square and boxy jaw.) Neurotoxin injections weaken and ultimately slim the masseter muscles, creating a noticeably more tapered appearance. Those who do have square-shaped faces typically have good cheek projection and fullness, so this treatment alone is often enough to reach that heart-shaped goal, he points out.
Neck lift
It may seem slightly counterintuitive to talk about the neck when discussing face shape, but it’s an overlooked factor worthy of consideration. “People complain about their chin and point to the submental area, which is actually a part of the neck,” says Dr. Champagne. A deep neck lift, in particular, where you can get rid of fat and shave down submandibular glands, is going to have a huge impact when it comes to creating the snatched jawline that everyone is after, Dr. Gilpin explains. He adds that this applies even to younger patients and that combining a deep neck lift with buccal fat removal is an extremely complementary pairing for anyone looking to make their face appear less round. As far as nonsurgical procedures go, Dr. Bassiri-Tehrani says that submental liposuction and/or energy-based skin-tightening treatments are alternatives that also work synergistically with buccal fat removal in patients who want to go from more of a round face to a heart-shaped face.
