Many people want to increase their jaw size for a variety of reasons. For one, a large and chiseled jaw will look more masculine and generally look better overall. Testosterone is one of the many things that people think contributes to jaw growth. We’ll analyze whether there’s any scientific backing to these claims.
Testosterone does affect facial morphology, especially the jaw area. But testosterone is not the only contributor to jaw size. A high level of testosterone is not guaranteed to increase your jaw size or make it more square. Females have very low levels of androgens and can have nice jaws.
Testosterone is not the only thing that determines how large your jaw is. It is most likely genetics that plays the most considerable role in jaw size.
In the end, your testosterone levels alone are not enough to make your jaw size increase. However, certain testosterone-related genetic variants have a lot to do with facial morphology (Roosenboom et al., 2018). Some papers even conclude that these variants have a direct effect on the mandible.
Regardless, you should not rely on testosterone alone if you want to increase jaw size.
What Is Testosterone?
Testosterone is a hormone that is not limited to men. Women’s ovaries can also produce certain amounts of testosterone, although not in large quantities. That said, this discussion will focus more on how testosterone affects the jaw in men.
One of the most common things we ascribe to testosterone is its relationship with sex drive. Testosterone does contribute a lot to sex drive, especially in the teens.
A human male’s testosterone levels are highest around the age of 20. Testosterone levels will stay steady for around a decade or so and decrease in a man’s 30s. The testosterone levels will then gradually get lower by a certain percentage as a man ages.
Testosterone contributes to sperm production, the bones and muscles, and even how the body stores fat. It is a hormone that has many contributions and effects on the body and is not merely cosmetic. It can even make changes to red blood cell production.
Testosterone levels have to reach a certain level to be considered healthy. There are some situations where men have low testosterone levels, which can indicate a bigger problem.
Some of the issues that are common with low T levels are as follows:
- fatigue
- hair loss
- increased body fat
- low bone and muscle mass
- mood swings
Testosterone can affect the quality of life in more ways than just one. It’s essential to consider these symptoms as a possible sign of low T levels.
Low testosterone can be an indication of particular problems or causes such as:
- injuries to the testicles
- pituitary problems
- HIV/AIDS
- kidney disease
- diabetes
- and more
Testosterone is essential because it helps regulate many bodily functions. Plus, low testosterone levels bring about the danger of infertility.
If that is something that you want to pay close attention to, you should watch your T levels before they drop to an unhealthy level.
What Does Testosterone Have to Do With the Jaw?
Testosterone is a hormone that regulates secondary sex characteristics. These include a more resonant voice, a more pronounced Adam’s apple, and yes, more angular features in males.
These angular features will characterize themselves in the jaw, especially.
A young man’s face will become more angular and pronounced. In the same way, the jaw will also sharpen more and lose some of its soft edges.
Of course, these effects are not the same for everybody. Some men will have better and more prominent features, while others will retain their youthful robustness. But one sure thing is that puberty and testosterone do contribute to these changes in secondary sex characteristics.
However, testosterone specifically is not responsible for jaw growth. Growth is a regular fact of life and will happen with numerous hormones and factors, not just testosterone. Women and eunuchs can have big jaws too.
However, on average, testosterone does increase jaw size, which is why men have larger jaws than women. But if you are an adult looking for ways to increase your jaw, testosterone may not be a big of a help as you may think. It could help define your jaw characteristics, but testosterone also closes growth plates, so you’d be shooting yourself in the foot trying to shoot testosterone. Instead, you just want to make sure your testosterone levels are in the normal physiological range.
Other Ways to Increase Jaw Size
Fortunately, your options are not limited to testosterone for increasing your jaw size.
While the following procedures may not inherently increase your jaw’s size, they will give it a better proportion and overall better balance.
Mewing
Mewing is one of the best ways that you can get a better jawline. Though it does not increase your jaw size beyond puberty, it does miracles for how harmonious your face will look. Mewing relies entirely on habit and stimulating growth in the right way. It works best on younger people who are still growing and still have a lot of wiggle room regarding their facial features.
Essentially, mewing is a way of using proper oral posture to achieve the look that you want with your face. It makes use of tongue position to guide facial growth in the right direction. It will be less effective in adults, however, since they’re done growing.
Mewing is a process that takes a lot of time and dedication, so you will need persistence before jumping into it. For more information, you can check out our ultimate guide. You will find a much more detailed explanation of what mewing is and how it contributes to facial features.
Surgical and Non-Surgical Procedures
Fillers are an option to increase your jaw size. While they may not technically enlarge your mandible, they can imitate the look of soft tissue so that your jaw will have a better and more balanced feel to it. Fillers are great because they are convenient, plus they are easily reversible if you don’t like them.
The downside is they can migrate to other parts of your face and don’t hold their shape well. Fillers tend to push because they consist of a soft material. Implants are a better option if you’re going for hard edges in your look.
Enhancing your masseter muscles through the use of implants is a great option. In women, large masseters may not be ideal, but it can help fabricate the image of a wider jaw for men.
There are also surgical options available that may also alter the actual bone, not necessarily the size. Double jaw surgery is one of the most invasive procedures you can get and produces the most obvious results.
For more info on improving your jaw, visit our jaw guide.
