The real surgery you need for a more 3D, sculpted face

[smallface]

The pics above showcase bone differences between caucasian skulls and asian skulls. As you can see the Asian face appears more robust, bulky and as if someone has blown a lot of air into a balloon - translation: big, unshapely face with no defined features.

Now I know the superficial solution we've been reaching for has been to shave down our cheekbones in an effort to reduce frontal facial width, but in all honesty, that doesn't really make the face more sculpted, 3D and forward grown - see diagram below for a visual explanation




The only surgery that will give recessed faces that forward growth in the maxilla area is mlf3 or lf2.

As invasive as this surgery is, it's the only surgery that really solves the wide and flat Asian face problem. It's not that most of us have wide cheekbones, we just happen to have wide faces (if you cheekbones don't stick out much beyond temple line). Pulling your maxilla forward for more forward growth is what will make your face look more sculpted and sharper, including the nasal area - after which you can add a paranasal implant if you're still unsatisfied with the height.


Below is an illustration of the types of lefort surgeries. Lf 1 is basically double jaw surgery but that only deals with the mandible while lf 2 and lf 3 deal with the maxilla which is the main problem for asians, our maxilas being incredibly recessed.



I used to think adding cheekbone implants and a forehead implant would give me facial depth but it just adds to the bulkiness of a face...

So getting double jaw surgery or v line surgery where you shave off your gonial angle just contributes even more to a flat, no definition face...unless of course that's the look you're aiming for.

Just posting this for anyone who might be in my position considering shaving their cheekbones or adding implants to fix a flat Asian face.

If anyone's interested and would like to read up more on such surgeries I can post or dm links.

Ps I am seriously looking to get lf2 or modified lf3 but all the surgeons I've got in touch with (mostly in the US) have not responded (lmao)

So if anyone on here knows of Korean or Asian surgeons specializing in such surgeries and is willing to do it purely for aesthetic purposes do post here.

Thanks for reading.

 

[samsam04]

Hello I'm very interested, can you share the link? I really aim for a more sculpted and smaller face. Mine is very square with high cheekbones and I'm female.

 

[Gats]

Makes sense however have you actually seen before/after pics with Asians which demonstrate this? If so, can you post or link to them? I wouldn't go through with such a drastic surgery unless you've seen people achieve the results you are looking for.

 

[smallface]

Makes sense however have you actually seen before/after pics with Asians which demonstrate this? If so, can you post or link to them? I wouldn't go through with such a drastic surgery unless you've seen people achieve the results you are looking for.

I've never seen Asian before and afters so far (will post if I come across any) but for our faces, we're working with the worst starting base - very recessed and flat so I feel like any mm of forward movement (a lot in facial miles lol) is helpful. Of course if you don't wish to undergo that, your next best option is paranasal implant/augmentation as seen below on an Asian patient.




Here's some before and afters of various lefort surgeries. Non Asian patients but with recessed/wide faces nonetheless.

To me the after isn't ideal but still a vast improvement from the starting material.



This was lf1 + bsso

To paraphrase:

In the before photos, there was excess fat in the mid-face, both the mandible and maxilla were recessed with a deficiency in vertical height. This combined to create a “short”, round, soft looking face.

In the after photo, the maxilla has been advanced, as has the mandible with vertical increases. This has removed the excess fat (although buccal lipectomy has possibly been performed too). These combine to produce a slimmer, more ruggedly handsome and proportional face.




Obviously results will vary based on your original facial structure but second guy had incredible improvement.

For those interested in advancing maxilla and mandible these are the surgeries you can read up on:

LF1
LF2
Modified LF3
BSSO
IMDO
Distraction Osteogenesis

 

[yourmelody]

INTERESTED

 

[smallface]

omg love ur find! I also noticed this as well, looking at the pictures of my caucasian/hispanic friends. they look good from any angle, meanwhile i had to find my angle, look good only on selfies (( do you also have any idea how to shorten midface? like below eyes and above mouth area? I could only think of raising my nose tip to give illustration of shorter midface ....

RIGHT??!!

When I take pics with non Asian friends my face is like the biggest and flattest, so much so I just avoid taking pics anymore, it's traumatizing to see yourself be that ugly when everyone else looks pretty without even trying.

The only surgery I'm aware of is LF1 osteotomy with impaction of the maxilla which can vertically shorten the length of the maxilla.

 

[Backtoblack18]

Very interesting. Thanks for sharing

 

[smallface]

I think her end look turned out great (in comparison to original look) but perhaps she can tone down the lip filler so it doesn't appear comical. But otherwise it's incredible how she went from Asian to Latina with surgery although to be fair, she didn't have a heavily stereotypical Asian face to begin with. I think she looks good in some angles but I guess the real test is how it comes across in real life when she's talking etc. If anyone knows the surgeons she went to...pls share

Woman from South Korea spends whopping $60k on surgery to look like Kim Kardashian; See results

This is not the first time a woman has shelled out a huge amount to resemble none other than Kim Kardashian.

me.mashable.com

 

[dinoca]

Interesting post!

I heard people recommend against paranasal implants. It seems most people get them removed shortly after having had them implanted. As for the photo of the man you posted, looks like he's intentionally bringing his lower jaw forward in the first photo. If only simple implants could correct malocclusion. :'(

Rhinoplasty could also add some dimension to one's face.

 

[gasiri]

That's interesting

 

[dinoca]

Could you elaborate why people removed their paranasal implants?

High movement area, you can feel the implants and they're very uncomfortable, they make your smile look weird and stiff, they make you look older because when you smile less of your teeth is visible, they don't know how the implants will look once they're old and there was a timeline for getting them removed, they change how your nose looks... that's all I can remember right now.

 

[dinoca]

ahh i was actually considering that instead of zygoma reduction.

I know right? My paranasal implant dreams were crushed too. lol

 

[smallface]

Kinda depressing she underwent bimaxillary anterior segmental osteotomy with 4 mm recession and 3 mm downward and the changes aren't that impressive......like her face still looks flat and wide to me. But this is also 6 months post op so maybe she's still swollen.

Ps, not sure if it's makeup or the angle...but she looks less "angry" in the bottom row - like mouth and eye area seem more relaxed? So I guess that's a plus.

 

[smallface]

Interesting post!

I heard people recommend against paranasal implants. It seems most people get them removed shortly after having had them implanted. As for the photo of the man you posted, looks like he's intentionally bringing his lower jaw forward in the first photo. If only simple implants could correct malocclusion. :'(

Rhinoplasty could also add some dimension to one's face.

Interesting. Is it because of discomfort or they just didn't like the look?

Rhinoplasty does add dimension but if your glabellar area is also flat and your overall face is flat, it can look a little out of place, like just a tall nose rising out of nowhere lol iygwim

 

[paul80]

Lol, I thought I was the only one who was so critical about facial features. I did my procedures back in 2009-2011, so I had already done all of this research.

For a Korean, my face wasn't really all that flat, but still flatter compared with normal Caucasian faces. I had a very slight underbite (class 3 malocclusion) which wasn't really bothering me functionally, but was enough for insurance to step in and cover the maxillofacial surgery. They would only cover LeFort I, although a LeFort II would have been nice. LeFort III seems like it would just push your entire anterior portion of your face forward, so not really solving the "lack of projection" issue. If you're going for the Caucasion look, then you would need to project your midface via LeFort II, then probably push back your upper lip/premaxilla via LeFort I. So for the extremely flat severe case, you would probably need to do a combination of LeFort II anterior projection, and a LeFort I posterior retrusion, to emulate a Caucasian face which has a projected the midface, but flat and retruded upper lip area. Asians generally can have the opposite features where the midface is pushed back, yet the upper lip area projects out like a chimp with a prominent lower jaw. Also, Asian faces can tend to be long vertically. Although technically you can shrink the LeFort I area by removing part of the bone vertically to make the face shorter, the real issue lies in your soft tissues (skin). There's no way to really vertically reduce your soft tissues like you can with bone. So if you were to shorten that bone, you still would have a tall upper lip and when you smile, your visible teeth is in the wrong place now. No real easy fix, unfortunately. As far as facial definition goes, Asians tend to have thicker skin, so any underlying structure will not come through as easily as it does for Caucasians.

Also keep in mind that many doctors, especially those in the US, may not perform these LeFort procedures unless they deem it medically necessary, even if you're willing to pay out of pocket. The more advanced LeForts like the LeFort III may need access near your eyes and there are always risks that most rational doctors won't take on, even if the risks might be acceptable to you and me. It's a lengthy and committed process too, where you need to coordinate with your orthodontist to possibly get on braces and align your teeth perfectly. Post-operative care also requires you to have your mouth wired shut eating out of a straw for months for the bones to fully heal too.

I ended up doing a LeFort I rotation and reduction of the lower jaw to solve the bite problem. My face didn't have that stereotypical flat Asian face, so I don't think I really needed a LeFort II. A couple of years later, I had eyelid surgery done, followed by augmentation rhinoplasty with rib cartilage, enhancing both the entire bridge and the columella extension. I had a deviated septum, so we knocked two birds with one stone and insurance covered most of the procedure. The rhino had an added benefit of simulating an epicanthoplasty procedure from the raised bridge stretching the skin around the inner part of the eyes.

I'm now looking into possibly doing a forehead procedure. I have defined brow areas giving that deep-set eyes look, but looking to fill out the forehead area above them.

Just sharing some feedback and experience that might help some people here.