You might be surprised to learn that looking younger than your age isn’t always a good thing. That may sound especially odd coming from someone who spends the majority of her day using injectables to help San Francisco women and men take years off their appearance. Let me explain why.
When you look too young for your age or have a baby face while you’re in your 20s, 30s, or 40s, it can have a negative impact both socially and professionally. Your ever-youthful appearance does you no favors when you’re trying to be taken seriously and look mature, sophisticated, and accomplished.
As I shared in another blog post, I chose to refine my baby face with complete facial contouring here at Mabrie Facial Institute. It’s made a huge difference in the way others see me and in the way I see myself.
Do you have a baby face? Then this post is for you! It covers the features that make up a baby face and how we refine them with injectables to reveal a more angular, sophisticated you.
What is a baby face?
Having a baby face means having facial features that make you look younger than your actual age, and by younger, I mean significantly younger. It’s most common with young adults in their 20s and 30s. While in the future, us baby faces may feel #blessed to look younger than our age, right now it’s posing some challenges. Luckily, here at MFI, we can use dermal fillers to help sculpt your baby face and give you a more sophisticated, sleek look.
Why do I look too young for my age?
Baby faces tend to have a round face shape with soft features. In essence, they lack the sleek contour that can create a sophisticated, mature look. Some tell-tale baby face features include:
- Large, round, bottom-heavy cheeks
- A small chin
- A weak jawline that lacks definition
What’s wrong with looking too young?
To some, this doesn’t sound like a bad problem to have, but the reality is it isn’t always better to look younger. Social psychology studies have shown that adults with baby faces are perceived as having more childlike qualities, meaning:
- Naïve
- Weak
- Submissive
- Inexperienced
This has the potential to affect both your social and professional life. In the professional world, the last thing you want is to be viewed as inexperienced. Data shows that having a baby face means you’re more likely to be passed over for job promotions or skipped for challenging job tasks.
One study examined the chin and jawline of 42 CEOs from the top 50 of 2005’s Fortune 500 Companies. It found that 90% of them had prominent chins and strong jawlines, suggesting people equate such jawlines with confidence and character, as reported by Bloomberg.
On a social level, some couples find it awkward or problematic when one partner looks significantly younger than the other, even when there isn’t a big age gap.
Bottom line: You don’t necessarily always want to be “the cute one.” You’re more than that, and the face you put forward to the world should show it.
Dr. David C. Mabrie and Kimberly Rolley, PA-C, show you how we streamline a baby face at MFI.
How To Make Yourself Look Older With a Baby Face
So how do we treat a baby face to make sure your appearance reflects your maturity, strength, and confidence? We use a combination of dermal fillers and neuromodulators with the goal of adding definition and contour to the face. The more contour, the more sophisticated the look. We focus on 3 areas: cheeks, chin, and jawline.
Cheeks
We want to slim the cheeks using a neuromodulator, such as BOTOX. This makes the face appear less round and also subtly makes the cheekbones pop. We then use filler to go in and further build and contour defined cheekbones. Together, this ensures the most prominent part of your cheek is your gorgeous, lifted cheekbone, not the bottom of the cheek.
Chin
We use filler to build and sculpt the chin to make sure it’s in harmony with your other facial features. The chin needs to be evaluated in multiple planes (height, width, projection) and overall shape. Depending on your goals, we either sculpt it to appear more feminine and v-line or stronger and more chiseled and angular.
Jawline
By creating a well-defined, streamlined jaw, we more clearly separate the face from the neck. This helps frame the face from multiple angles and adds shape to the face, making it less round. (Check out this blog post to learn more about how sculpting your jawline can transform your face.)
At Mabrie Facial Institute, we say it only takes a few millimeters to make a huge difference in the face you show to the world. Take a look at our gallery to see more of our patients’ dramatic facial transformations. If you’d like to learn more about how injectables can take your face from baby to bombshell, get in touch! Contact us online or call us at (415) 322-3307.
Hey I’m really interested in getting my face done I’m ready for some self confidence full face and more even look when I smile a already have a pointy nose I’m only 21 so i know it will look so good
Hi Juliette – thank you for your comment and checking out our blog. We would love to see you here in our office! I will have someone from our Concierge Team reach out to you to provide you with more information and answer any questions you may have.
I have a crooked nose and a baby face and my features are not symmetrical at all .. I feel so depressed why I am pretty like other girls . Is there anything you do about my face
Hi Arshveer,
Thanks for taking the time to read our blog and reach out. One of the benefits of using dermal fillers is that it is a nonsurgical option for addressing asymmetry of the face. Keep in mind, EVERYONE is asymmetric, that is natural human anatomy, but fillers can help to improve facial structure and reduce asymmetry. If you’d like to know more about what fillers or Botox could do for you, specifically, please feel free to submit your photos to our virtual assessment on our website and an injector will take a look and reach back out to you.
Hello I have a baby face and was wondering about the procedures involving to fix it, and the long-term effects that it will have on my face.
Hi Lee, thanks for your question! We find the best treatments to add contour to the face are cheek/chin filler and massseter botox. These two treatments add definition to the face and can take a round facial shape and make it more heart or athletic shaped. Botox for the masseter muscles for facial slimming lasts approximately 6 months. By the 6 month mark the Botox has worn off and the muscle has regained is strength/bulk. As for dermal fillers to the cheek and chin, the fillers themselves last approximately 12-24 months depending on the type of filler used. We prefer hyaluronic acid fillers as these are dissolvable if desired. We’d be happy to see you in our office for a full consultation and customized treatment plan based on your exact facial anatomy. Please send your contact phone and email to [email protected] and one of our Scheduling Coordinators will contact you to answer any questions and find a time for you to come in!
Thank you for this post. I’m glad someone is finally addressing this. Looking too young in your 30’s is not a great experience – as you said both socially and professionally.
Hi Amy, thank you for your comment and support! Couldn’t agree more!
Hello, with all of this done what can be the estimated cost of everything together? (cheeks, chin, jaw etc)
Hi Henny, great question! It’s hard to say exactly what a patient should expect to pay, without having a consultation first. The treatment is tailored to each patients exact anatomy, and the amount of filler and treatment areas are best determined after an in-person examination. For general pricing information on initial treatments please check out our pricing page on our website. Just keep in mind the most accurate price estimate would be provided to you at your consultation, prior to any commitment to treatment. Hope this was helpful!
Hey I have a baby face and I don’t know what Botox would I have to do if can you please help me
Hi Lorena, thanks for reaching out! Typically when someone feels they have a baby face it’s because they have fuller, bottom heavy cheeks. If this is the case we typically suggest masseter Botox. This can help slim the bottom heavy cheeks and make the face less round. However, every face is different so an in-person consultation would be best to come up with a customized treatment plan. If you’re interested in coming into our office please give us a call at 415-445-9513, we’d love to see you.
Hey, I see the results for women patients & am interested to know will this help me to look more masculine as a man. I am 24 & I have a baby face that gets me mistaken for a 16-17 year old.
Hi Mari, great question! Yes, fillers and botox can certainly be used to create a more masculine look. Adding contour to the face makes the face more defined and features more pronounced, it doesn’t necessarily make it more feminine or masculine. Working with an experienced injector for a customized treatment plan you’ll be able to come up with a plan for a more masculine look. Typically this involves creating a more prominent, angular, and wide chin and jawline, along with defined cheekbones. Check out cases 721 and 726 for examples. Hope this helps!