What Facial Reshaping Procedures Do I Need To Feminize My Face?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I would like a shorter, fuller face with softer, more feminine features. I am wondering if I need corrective jaw surgery or could a chin reduction and facial fillers alone achieve the look I want. If there isn’t a great difference in the results of corrective jaw surgery and chin reduction surgery, then I would be more inclined to just get chin surgery because it is less invasive and costly. I do not like the large space between my nostrils and my upper lip. Could rhinoplasty help to shorten that distance? You might not be able to tell from these pictures but as far as my nose. I do not like the hump and I do not like my nasal tip. It is very bulbous and when I smile I feel the span of my nostrils becomes very wide. Finally I feel that I have a very prominent brow bone and feel it makes me look even more masculine. I am wondering if I am a good candidate for brow bone reduction surgery and also hairline lowering in order to decrease the length of my face. Thank you in advance for your help. I look forward to communicating with you soon and seeing the computer facial images.

A: All of the facial fershaping procedures you have mentioned would be helpful in shortening the appearance of your face from hairline lowering, rhinoplasty, subnasal lip lift and vertical chin reduction. It is impossible to comment on whether corrective jaw surgery or chin reduction would be better since that decision requires knowing the state of your bite. (occlusion) If your bite is good, then chin reduction would absolutely be the better procedure.

Brow bone reduction would be helpful to feminize your forehead and would be needed with your rhinoplasty to help bring back the glabellar (central) area of the brow. Otherwise the hump reduction with your rhinoplasty will make a deep nasofrontal angle which is more of a masculine facial feature.

While a subnasal lip lift would be helpful, it can not be performed at the same time as a rhinoplasty due to blood supply concerns to the intervening columellar skin between it and the open rhinoplasty incision.

To properly do computer imaging, I need more than just a lateral or side view. Additional views from the front and even a three-quarter (oblique) view make for a complete imaging assessment of the aforementioned facial changes.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana