After DJS, face appears longer and masculine. How to achieve a more heart shaped and youthful face? (Photos)

Question

I (underwent orthognathic surgery 6 months ago to treat a long face (Class II). My chin now looks very long and pointy for my taste, my mandible angle is thickening on one side, and the tip of my nose has collapsed forward. My surgeon says I look more proportional, but I’m unhappy with the results. I’m unsure whether my chin is too long — from the side I feel I look a bit “witch-like”— and I find my face is now too long and narrow. I’m considering cheek implants (unsure whether to widen my face or just add frontal projection), a mandible angle implant, and/or chin height reduction. My aim is a more youthful, cute, and shorter face. After surgery, I feel my face — already long — now looks even longer and less attractive. Could this be due to swelling? Should I wait longer before making a decision? I’m also scheduled for a rhinoplasty soon to provide more support to the tip of my nose. I’m unsure when and whether I should pursue implants afterwards.29F

Earl Stephenson, Jr., MD, DDS, MBA · Answer

Dear Nice,

Thank you so much for sharing your journey—it’s completely understandable to feel frustrated after such a big transformation. At just six months post-op, you’re still in the thick of healing, especially after orthognathic surgery. Swelling, tissue remodeling, and bone settling can all create the illusion that your face is longer, pointier, or even asymmetrical. What you’re seeing now likely isn’t the final result. The "witch-like" or overly long chin appearance you mentioned could be due to residual swelling, temporary changes in soft tissue, or how the muscles are still adjusting. That thickening near your mandible angle may soften over time as well.

I recommend holding off on additional procedures—like chin contouring, cheek implants, or jaw angle implants—until you’ve given your body a full year to heal. Since you already have a rhinoplasty scheduled to support the tip of your nose, that should be your next step. It’s best to wait at least 6 to 12 months after your nose surgery before considering anything else. This gives your face a chance to settle into its new proportions and allows us to make more accurate decisions about whether or not to adjust your chin or cheeks. You can combine rhinoplasty and chin revision surgery, but doing them together increases the chances of an unpredictable outcome.

If you're still unhappy after everything heals, options like chin height reduction, a slight sliding genioplasty setback, or even refined jawline contouring can help soften and shorten the appearance of your face. For cheeks, we’d determine whether you need width (malar implants) or forward projection (submalar implants) to give a youthful, balanced look. But all of that comes after the dust settles from what you've already been through.

Right now, your best tool is time. You’ve done the hardest part—so now it’s about smart sequencing and not rushing into more surgery too soon.

Warmly,
Earl Stephenson, Jr, MD, DDS, MBA
ESJ Aesthetics – "Where Confidence Takes Shape!

After DJS, face appears longer and masculine. How to achieve a more heart shaped and youthful face? (Photos)

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