When your outward appearance matches how you feel inside, you experience a boost in self-esteem. This transformation can be rewarding, whether you want to soften your features for a more feminine look or you desire a more sculpted, chiseled, and masculine appearance.
What characteristics make a face look more masculine or feminine? While there is no one-size-fits-all approach to looking more feminine or masculine, a skilled facial plastic surgeon can subtly refine your already-attractive features and give you the look you want with facial plastic surgery.
Noses: What Is the Perfect Male Nose? What Makes a Nose Feminine?
Your nose is important when seeking a more feminine or masculine look, as it’s a prominent facial feature. Feminine-looking noses have a more refined tip, a narrower bridge, and a slightly concave profile—and they are generally less pronounced than masculine noses. With rhinoplasty, those who want more masculine noses can reshape the feature by improving humps or depressions in the nose bridge and ensuring the nose is balanced with the rest of the facial features.
Eyes, Brow Ridge & Forehead: Male vs. Female
The eyes and eyebrows are another of the most noticeable facial features, as they are the most expressive. Still, the forehead is often overlooked as a facial feature that has noticeable differences between genders. Together, these 3 features significantly contribute to your overall appearance.
Female eyes tend to look a little larger than male eyes because their brows are slightly higher and more arched. Male eyes have a more deep-set and narrower appearance, the brow ridge is more prominent, and the eyebrows are usually straighter and bushier than female eyes.
Male foreheads are typically larger than female foreheads because they are wider and higher. Thanks to the shape of the underlying frontal bone, male foreheads have a slope to them, whereas female foreheads are usually vertical. Male foreheads also have a bony ridge that runs above the eyes from one side of the forehead to the other, while female foreheads are usually smooth.
High vs. Low Cheekbones
The cheeks provide proportion to the face as a whole. Feminine cheeks are higher, more prominent, and contain more fat deposits, giving them a rounder, fuller look than masculine cheeks. Male cheeks usually have a sharper, angular appearance and lie a little flatter on the face.
That being said, the current trend for both men and women is sculpted, well-defined cheeks that create an elegant profile—and it explains the rising popularity of buccal fat removal to make the lower cheeks more concave to emphasize the cheekbones. Cheek augmentation is often a better option, adding natural-looking volume to your cheeks for a feminine or masculine look. Our related blog post offers some advice.
Lips: Are Male and Female Lips Different?
Feminine lips are often more lush and full than male lips and are much closer to the nose than male lips. The rising popularity of dermal fillers (for both feminine and masculine looks) shows that there is a demand for minimally invasive procedures that can enhance your appearance. According to US News & World Report, about 82% of procedures performed in 2022 were minimally invasive, including fillers. Whether you’re looking for well-shaped lips that fit the masculine aesthetic or more feminine-looking full lips, nonsurgical lip fillers or even surgical lip enhancement may be the answer.
Masculine vs. Feminine Chin
Like the forehead, this facial feature tends to be another strong gender indicator. Masculine chins have a more square and angular appearance than feminine chins, which have a more rounded appearance.
Jawline: Highlighting the Natural Contours
Masculine faces also have heavier and wider jawbones than feminine faces. However, when aging skin loses its elasticity, it gathers along the jawline, obscuring the shape. A facelift repositions that loose skin and removes excess skin, revealing the contour of the jawline, refining the face shape, and refreshing your look. This skin tightening reveals your natural jawline, whether that’s a more feminine, oval face shape or a chiseled, masculine jawline. For those who want even more jawline definition, dermal fillers or chin augmentation can also help.
Facial Contour Contributes to a Masculine or Feminine Look
Just as lax, sagging skin can hide both feminine and masculine face shapes, so too can overly full cheeks or a double chin. In many cases, stubborn fat deposits are to blame. Excess fat around the jawline or under the chin creates a square or round-faced appearance, blurring a feminine oval-shaped face or the strong cut of a masculine jaw. Facial liposuction reduces stubborn fat deposits, especially under the chin and on the lower cheeks, giving you sharper, more defined features.
I offer several other facial plastic surgery procedures for my patients, such as brow lifts, neck lifts, eyelid surgery, and more, so you can achieve your dream aesthetic. See how my patients enhanced their appearance with a facelift in these before and after photos. Request a consultation or call us at (480) 214-9955 to schedule an appointment.
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