Jaws are a significant determinant of your face shape. And face shapes are incredibly crucial in attractiveness. A smaller, narrow jaw is better for women, while for men, a square and chiseled jaw is the way to go. However, whether you are a man of woman, a jaw that is too big could be unsightly and could throw off your entire appearance.
You can get a smaller jaw through weight loss and mainly through cosmetic alterations. Surgical options for a smaller jaw include facelift and mandible reduction. Non-surgical options include dermal fillers or botox.
Your face shape can make your break your entire appearance, which is why many people choose to alter their jaw area to improve their looks. The most reliable option for making your jaw smaller are cosmetic augmentations.
However, note that your jaw might look larger if you’ve packed on weight. It would be best to consider losing weight before diving into more serious and permanent options. Losing weight is a way to stay healthy and stay on top of your looks.
What Is a Small Jaw?
Let’s define what we mean by a small jaw. Normally, when people say small jaw, I think of the jaw’s bigonial width:
A small jaw will not look very wide from a front profile due to its small bigonial width. A big jaw will have a bigonial width that’s as big as, or perhaps even bigger than, the cheekbone width.
But a recessed jaw, or a jaw that appears small from a side profile, looks like this:
It has a convex profile. This is a different issue where the chin doesn’t line up with the facial plane due to a short mandible or chin. This is not what you want.
However, if you have a concave side profile, then it’s possible you have a class III malocclusion and/or a prognathic jaw. This requires surgery and seeing an orthodontist or maxillofacial surgeon.
So, with that being said, a smaller jaw (bigonial width) is evident in many conventionally attractive people. Even in guys, a smaller jaw is attractive if it is sculpted and proportional to the face. Consider these celebrities’ photos and observe how their smaller and more defined jaws improve their appearance.
Robert Pattinson has one of the most sculpted faces in the entertainment industry. Note how his small jaw works with the rest of his face to give him the sharp edges that ooze intensity.
Despite being close to 40, Jessica Alba remains one of Hollywood’s prettiest faces. Her features are dainty and feminine, which is because of her sharp chin and sculpted jaw. Her jaw tapers down in a beautiful incline, which gives her that feminine but strong look.
Kim Kardashian is famous for her killer figure but also for her intense contouring. She consistently rocks her narrow face with chiseled cheekbones. Her face and jaw taper down into a shape that many women envy. Though people feast on rumors of her going under the knife, Kim Kardashian still has a face that can be the star of any show.
Methods
There are many ways to get your jaw to become smaller over time. But this article will dive deep into just a couple of solid options to give you some perspective on how to make your jaw smaller.
Weight Loss
Before considering any of the other choices in this article, think first about losing weight. Your jaw area’s size might just be because of extra fat in your face.
Christian Bale is always a great example of the difference weight loss can make, especially since his weight frequently fluctuates for his different roles. In the photo on the left, his face still has some significant roundness while on the right, his jaw has slimmed down considerably.
This before and after photo boasts an even more drastic change in the facial shape and jaw area. In the after photo, this woman’s jaw shrunk considerably, and that gave her a sharper, but still feminine face.
Weight loss isn’t the only answer, though. Some people lose more fat in the face than others, and every weight loss journey is different. It takes time and patience to achieve the results you’ve been waiting for all along. If you have tried everything with weight loss and your face still doesn’t seem to lose fat, you should consider the other options listed below.
Face Lift
A rhytidectomy or a facelift transforms a saggy aging face into a youthful one. In a facelift, the skin on the sides of the face is pulled back, and the tissues are altered to create a more youthful face shape.
A smaller and more defined jaw is associated with a youthful-appearing face, so a facelift is closely related to obtaining a smaller jaw. A facelift performed in conjunction with a neck lift or neck liposuction will give optimum results.
The facelift procedure has been around for quite some time now and has undergone many improvements since its inception. However, this study by Barret et al. (2016) notes that there is no real consensus on the best way to perform a facelift. It is a procedure that is continuously being improved and continually evolves. As a result, you should base your decision to get it on the skill of your physician.
Face-lifts, however, are not permanent fixes. They can last a significant amount of time, but on average, they last about ten years, give or take.
Look at how a facelift gave this woman a smaller jaw yet, which also looks great with her other features. Instead of a broad and wonky shape, the facelift gave her appearance a boost and made her look youthful beyond her years.
A facelift is a serious cosmetic procedure and is accompanied by certain risks. Complications that can arise from the procedure include hematoma or scarring. Though the hairline usually conceals incisions made for a facelift, specific incisions can become reddish and are more apparent. But, of course, there are treatments for the complications that can arise when getting a facelift.
Because it carries a certain level of risk with it, make sure that when considering a facelift, the board-certified surgeon performing it is vetted and up to par. Don’t risk your health and appearance to save a few bucks. Make sure to do a lot of research beforehand.
Botox
Botox is one of the non-invasive methods that you can opt for to make your jaw smaller. Botox injections are neuromodulators that are used to stop the action of the muscles for some time.
In the case of jaw reshaping, the surgeon injects the Botox into the jaw’s side to slow the action of the masseter muscles. Over time, these muscles will shrink through lessened use, and your jaw will look smaller.
For best results, botox injections are done multiple times through a period of a few months. It takes time for a botox injection to show a shape change since you have to wait for the muscles to shrink. But it is an incredibly viable option since the recovery time and discomfort is minuscule. At most, you would have to stay at home for 2 or 3 days, and then you can get on with your regular work after that. There could be a little bruising and discomfort that will go away in time.
Other discomforts that come with getting botox to the jaw is a little difficulty in chewing tough or rubbery food. But this effect will likely go away in some time and is not something to worry about too much.
Botox injections are not as long-lasting as facelifts but are still a good choice. Botox trumps facelifts in risk and convenience. So weigh your options and think about what works best for you.
In this photo, you can see the difference after botox. The jaw is now smaller and looks better. As the picture indicates, it took some time for the results to manifest because you have to wait for the masseter muscles to shrink in size.
Conclusion
The type of process you go through to make your jaw smaller depends on your preferences, and to an extent, your budget. Consider the different options that you have and go from there. It is important to remember that there is no quick way to get a smaller jaw. Facial yoga or exercises to make your jaw smaller will only do so much (though most likely nothing). Make sure that you do your research and only follow tried and proven steps. Remember that everyone is different, so results may be different for you compared to others.
