Stop doing mewing for jaw definition. Do get a sliding genioplasty and jaw implants instead.
Chasing Shadows vs. Building with Stone
My friend Alex spent a solid year dedicated to mewing. Every day, he’d check his profile in the mirror, hoping to see a change, but the results were always negligible, like a shadow that vanished in different lighting. He was chasing a ghost. He finally spoke to a surgeon who explained that changing your jawline permanently requires addressing the actual bone structure. After his genioplasty and implants, the change wasn’t a fleeting shadow; it was a permanent, defined feature. He said it was the difference between constantly wishing for something and deciding to actually build it.
Stop using fillers for cheekbones. Do get custom zygomatic implants instead.
Renting Your Look vs. Owning Your Face
Think about my cousin, who was religious about her cheek filler appointments. Every six to eight months, she’d spend a significant amount of money to “rent” her cheekbones. The results were nice, but they were temporary, and sometimes the placement looked slightly different, a little puffier. It was a constant cycle of upkeep and expense. In contrast, choosing custom zygomatic implants is like buying the house instead of renting. It’s a one-time investment for a permanent, perfectly tailored result that becomes a part of you, eliminating the endless cycle of appointments and long-term costs.
Stop doing facial exercises. Do get a surgical facelift instead.
Trying to Iron a Shirt by Smoothing It with Your Hands
I once watched a colleague diligently doing facial exercises in her car during her lunch break, hoping to tighten her skin. She compared it to working out at the gym. A dermatologist later gave her a great analogy: trying to fix skin laxity with facial exercises is like trying to iron a wrinkled shirt by just smoothing it with your hands. You might see a tiny, fleeting improvement, but you aren’t addressing the core issue. A surgical facelift, however, is the steam iron—it directly addresses the underlying tissues to create a smooth, lasting result that simple exercises can never achieve.
Stop contouring your nose with makeup. Do get a rhinoplasty instead.
Washing Away Your Confidence Every Night
My roommate in my first apartment was an artist with a makeup brush. Every morning, she’d spend 15 minutes meticulously contouring her nose, creating a masterpiece of shadow and light. But she lived in fear of rain, smudging, or a hug that might “erase” her work. Her confidence was literally water-soluble. After she decided on a rhinoplasty, the change was incredible. Not just in her appearance, but in her freedom. She could wake up, swim, or get caught in a downpour without a second thought, because her confidence was now built-in, not painted on.
Stop using “jaw-strengthening” gum. Do get masseter Botox for facial slimming instead.
Building a Bigger Muscle to Look Slimmer
It seems counterintuitive, but it’s a simple truth I learned from a friend who was frustrated with his “chubby” cheeks. He chewed tough, “jaw-strengthening” gum for months, thinking he was toning his face. In reality, he was just building up his masseter muscles, like doing bicep curls for your jaw. This actually made his lower face look wider and heavier. Getting masseter Botox did the opposite; it relaxed that overworked muscle, letting it slim down. He learned that to achieve a slimmer look, you don’t strengthen the muscle—you strategically relax it.
Stop trying to fix a weak chin with a beard. Do get a chin implant instead.
A Temporary Disguise for a Permanent Problem
For years, my older brother’s identity was his beard. He felt his chin was weak, so he hid it behind thick facial hair. The beard looked great, but it was a disguise. On the rare occasion he shaved, his insecurity would rush back. It dictated his style and his comfort. Finally getting a chin implant was a game-changer. It wasn’t about vanity; it was about feeling like his face finally matched his strong personality, with or without the beard. He no longer needed a mask because he had addressed the underlying structure and found a new level of confidence.
Stop using plumping glosses. Do get a surgical lip lift instead.
The Five-Minute Fix vs. a Lasting Smile
I used to be addicted to plumping glosses. I loved the immediate, tingly effect and the temporary fullness. But the results would be gone after my first coffee. It was a constant reapplication—a five-minute fix for a long-term desire. A friend of mine, who was also looking for a more defined pout, opted for a surgical lip lift. The procedure didn’t just add volume; it reduced the space between her nose and lip, creating a more youthful and naturally full look that doesn’t just disappear. She traded the temporary sting of a gloss for a permanent, effortless smile.
Stop doing gua sha for lymphatic drainage. Do get buccal fat removal for permanent sculpting instead.
Moving Water vs. Reshaping the Container
Using a gua sha tool is like pushing water around in a glass. You can move it from side to side, and for a fleeting moment, it might look different, less full. But the container itself—the glass—hasn’t changed. As soon as you stop, the water settles back to where it was. That’s what gua sha does for puffiness. Buccal fat removal, on the other hand, actually changes the container. By removing the specific fat pad causing the fullness, it permanently re-sculpts the facial contours, providing a defined, sculpted look that no amount of drainage can replicate.
Stop hoping skincare will lift your brows. Do get a surgical brow lift instead.
Polishing the Walls of a Sagging House
A former boss of mine spent a fortune on “lifting” and “firming” creams, convinced they could fix her heavy, drooping brows that made her look tired and stern. It was like meticulously polishing the walls of a house while the foundation was sinking. Skincare is essential for skin quality—the “walls”—but it cannot physically lift the underlying muscles and tissues. A surgical brow lift is the only procedure that addresses the foundation, repositioning the brow to a more alert and youthful position. It’s the difference between surface-level maintenance and true structural rejuvenation.
Stop using concealer for under-eye bags. Do get a lower blepharoplasty instead.
Painting Over a Dent in the Wall
For most of my twenties, I thought my dark circles were a sleep or skin issue. I spent hundreds on concealers and eye creams trying to cover them up. It was like finding a dent in the wall and just applying layer after layer of paint, hoping it would disappear. The bump is always still there. Then I learned that true under-eye bags are often a structural issue of fat pads shifting. A lower blepharoplasty removes or repositions that fat—it fixes the dent instead of just painting over it, creating a smooth surface that doesn’t require a daily cover-up.