Lower face · For transgender patients
Jawline Augmentation
The jaw and chin define the lower third of the face, and their shape is one of the first things read as masculine or feminine. Augmentation builds projection and width; where the goal is the opposite, the approach shifts to narrowing and contouring instead.
Dr. Henry Sandel — double board-certified facial plastic surgeon
At a glance
Surgeon
Dr. Henry Sandel
Area
Lower face
Approach
Augmentation, or narrowing and contouring
Setting
One accredited facility
Often paired with
Cheek Augmentation, Thyroid Cartilage Reduction
What the procedure changes
For masculinizing goals, the aim is a squarer, wider, more defined lower face: more forward chin projection, a stronger angle where the jaw turns up toward the ear, and a crisper border between jaw and neck. This is achieved with implants placed directly on the bone through hidden incisions, sized and shaped to your anatomy. Chin implants and jaw angle implants are often placed together, since a projected chin without jaw width can look narrow from the front.
For feminizing goals, the work is usually reductive rather than additive — a narrower, more tapered lower face with a softer jaw border and a chin that is shorter and less projected. That may mean contouring rather than augmenting, and it may mean addressing the soft tissue of the neck and under-chin so the taper reads clearly. Dr. Sandel will tell you plainly which of these your anatomy calls for.
Dermal filler offers a non-surgical way to trial added projection along the chin and jaw before committing to an implant. It is temporary and it will not hold a heavy contour, but it is genuinely useful for deciding how much change you actually want.
Toward a more feminine read
Narrow and taper the lower face
Soften the jaw border
Shorten and reduce chin projection
Refine the under-chin and neck line
Toward a more masculine read
Increase forward chin projection
Widen and define the jaw angle
Sharpen the jaw-to-neck border
Combine chin and jaw angle implants
These are directions, not a formula. What suits your face is decided with you, in consultation.
Worth knowing
Before you decide.
Most patients do not have every procedure at once. We will tell you which changes combine safely in one operation and which heal better apart.
Chin and jaw are one unit visually. Changing only the chin often looks incomplete from the front.
Implants are permanent but removable and exchangeable; filler is temporary and reversible.
Bite and dental history matter — significant jaw discrepancy may be an orthognathic question rather than a cosmetic one.
Neck and under-chin fullness can hide an otherwise good jaw result; liposuction here is sometimes part of the same plan.
Start with a conversation.
Every patient receives an extensive consultation with a comprehensive review of options. No one feels rushed, and we answer every question before anything is scheduled.
Candidacy, staging, and expected outcomes are determined in consultation. Results vary from patient to patient.