Can a peanut-shaped face be corrected with facial contouring surgery?

Hello, this is Dr. Jo Hyun-woo of Inpyeok Plastic Surgery.

Lately, many patients have been asking about what can be done to address what they call a “peanut-shaped face.”

What kind of face does a peanut-shaped face refer to?

Peanut-shaped face

As shown in this photo, a face with prominent cheekbones, hollow temples, hollow cheeks, and a lower jaw that appears to protrude outward from the front is generally called a “peanut-shaped face.” A peanut-shaped face can make the face look longer than it actually is and can also make someone look older.

In such cases, it may be somewhat difficult to address the issue with just one surgery or with bone surgery alone.

That is because the face is not made up of bone alone, but is a complex structure of soft tissues such as fat and muscle.

So I will explain step by step how this can be addressed.

Prominent cheekbones

Prominent cheekbones can be corrected with cheekbone reduction surgery.

If the side cheekbones are especially prominent, surgery through a scalp incision, such as 230-degree three-dimensional cheekbone reduction, may be sufficient.

Or, if the 45-degree cheekbones are especially prominent, 3D cheekbone reduction may be helpful.

230-degree three-dimensional cheekbone reduction

3D cheekbone reduction

Hollow temples and hollow cheeks

This area is difficult to fully correct with cheekbone surgery alone.

I have written a column about correcting hollow cheeks, so I think it would be helpful to take a look at that as well.

Hollow temples and hollow cheeks can be dramatically improved through fat grafting.

Fat grafting is a procedure in which fat is harvested from areas such as the thighs or abdomen and then transplanted.

Usually, when grafting is performed twice, including a second round with frozen fat, about 80% of the desired volume can be retained.

In this way, fat grafting can also greatly reduce an uneven appearance.

A patient who underwent cheekbone reduction and hollow cheek correction at the same time

Buccal fat

If the area around the mouth looks puffy, as if holding a candy in the cheek, or if there is a lot of fat there, improvement can be achieved through buccal fat removal and facial liposuction.

Buccal fat removal is a surgical method in which a small incision of about 0.5 cm is made inside the mouth to partially remove the deep fat pad.

Using this method, deep cheek fat can be removed, and if there is a lot of subcutaneous fat, it can be improved through facial liposuction.

A patient who underwent 230-degree three-dimensional cheekbone reduction and buccal fat removal at the same time

Overdeveloped masseter muscles

If the actual jawbone protrudes outward or the muscles are large, combining square jaw surgery with masseter muscle resection can be very helpful.

A patient who underwent square jaw surgery, masseter muscle resection, and double chin muscle tightening at the same time

A patient who underwent square jaw surgery, masseter muscle resection, and double chin muscle tightening at the same time

In this way, combining square jaw surgery and masseter muscle resection can improve the bulging appearance of the lower jaw.

If the square jaw is not large and there is only muscle prominence, Botox can also be sufficiently effective.

In this way, a peanut-shaped face can be changed into a smoother facial line through a combination of various surgeries.

Because it is not a situation that can be solved with just one procedure, you can achieve good results if you determine which surgery you need through thorough consultation.

I have included links to several procedures, so if you look through them in detail, it will also greatly help you understand the surgeries.

Thank you.