I wish I knew that my “baby face” wasn’t going to slim down on its own and that I should have gotten buccal fat removal when I was 20.
The Lie of “Growing Into Your Face”
Throughout my early twenties, everyone told me not to worry about my round “baby face,” insisting I would grow out of it. I waited patiently through years of feeling my face didn’t match my lean physique. By 28, I was still waiting. I finally got buccal fat removal, and the instant, chiseled result was staggering. I look back at photos from all those years—college, my first job, early relationships—and regret every day I spent waiting for a change that was never going to happen on its own. I could have had this confidence a decade earlier.
I wish I knew that a weak jaw was the root of my facial disharmony when I was a teenager.
Fixing the Foundation, Not Just the Furniture
As a teenager, I was obsessed with the idea that my nose was too big and my cheeks were too full. I spent hours analyzing these “flaws,” completely blind to the real issue. It wasn’t until I was 25 that a surgeon pointed it out: my entire face looked unbalanced because my jaw was recessed. After getting a chin implant, everything else snapped into place. My nose looked proportionate, my face more defined. I wish I’d known sooner that I was trying to rearrange furniture in a room with a crooked foundation.
I wish I knew that custom facial implants were a real thing and not just sci-fi when I was 22.
The Blueprint I Didn’t Know Existed
At 22, I knew my face lacked the angularity I wanted, but I thought the only options were basic, off-the-shelf chin or cheek implants. It felt like a crude, one-size-fits-all solution. Years later, I learned about surgeons using 3D printing to create custom PEEK implants, perfectly molded to a patient’s own skull to achieve a precise, bespoke result. It was like discovering that bespoke armor existed after years of thinking my only option was ill-fitting, generic gear. Knowing this was possible would have completely changed my approach to self-improvement from the start.
I wish I knew how much a rhinoplasty could improve facial harmony when I was 18.
The Anchor of the Face
All through high school and college, I thought my main issue was a “weak” chin. I focused all my insecurity on that one feature. It wasn’t until I was much older that I understood the central role of the nose. I finally got a rhinoplasty at 27, and the change was profound. It didn’t just improve my nose; it rebalanced my entire face, making my eyes seem larger and my chin more defined. I regret not doing it at 18. I spent a decade insecure about the wrong thing.
I wish I knew that fillers were a temporary and often unsatisfactory solution for structural issues when I was first getting them.
The Filler Treadmill
When I first got cheek filler at 23, I was thrilled. But then the cycle began: the constant, expensive appointments and the anxiety as the results faded. After a few years, I noticed a puffiness that wasn’t there before; the filler had started to migrate. I was on a treadmill, spending thousands to chase a temporary look that was gradually making my face look distorted. I wish I had understood then that you can’t fix a structural deficit with a temporary gel. A one-time investment in an implant would have been cheaper and better.
I wish I knew that the “ideal” lip ratio could be permanently achieved with a lip lift when I was wasting money on plumpers.
The Five-Minute Fix vs. the Lifetime Pout
In my early twenties, I was addicted to lip-plumping glosses. I loved the tingly, instant fullness, but hated that it disappeared after my first coffee. It was a constant cycle of reapplication. I easily spent over a thousand dollars on those little tubes over the years. I wish I had known that the cost of my temporary habit could have paid for a surgical lip lift. A lip lift doesn’t just add temporary volume; it permanently changes the architecture of your smile for a perfect, youthful pout that never fades.
I wish I knew that double jaw surgery could have fixed my bite and improved my profile when I was going through years of orthodontics.
Straightening the Teeth in a Crooked House
I endured four long years of braces as a teenager to fix my overbite. My orthodontist pulled my top teeth back to meet my lower jaw. The result was straight teeth, but a permanently weakened, retruded profile. I wish I had known that the real problem wasn’t my teeth, but my jaw. Double jaw surgery would have corrected the actual bone structure, moving my lower jaw forward. I wouldn’t have just gotten a better smile; I would have gotten a strong, balanced profile for life. I fixed the pictures, but left the wall crooked.
I wish I knew how much a brow lift could open up my eyes when I was trying to fix my “tired” look with makeup.
The Awning Over My Eyes
No matter how much I slept, I spent my early twenties looking perpetually tired. I blamed my lifestyle and caked on under-eye concealer every single day. The real problem was right above my eyes all along. My brows were genetically low-set, creating a heavy, sleepy look. I wish I had known that a simple endoscopic brow lift could have permanently repositioned them, opening up my entire eye area. I spent years and a small fortune on makeup, trying to hide a problem that surgery could have fixed in an afternoon.
I wish I knew that masseter Botox could have slimmed my face years ago when I was just thinking it was fat.
The Workout I Didn’t Know I Was Doing
I’ve always had a wide, square jaw. I assumed it was face fat and spent years dieting obsessively, but my face never got much slimmer. It wasn’t until a dentist mentioned I was grinding my teeth at night that I made the connection. I had been unintentionally “working out” my masseter muscles for years, making them large and bulky. A few rounds of Botox relaxed those muscles, and my face slimmed down dramatically. I wish I’d known sooner that the solution wasn’t dieting; it was stopping a workout I didn’t even know I was doing.
I wish I knew that facial bone structure was the foundation of all attractiveness when I was just starting out with skincare.
Polishing the Walls of a Crooked House
When I first got into self-improvement, I went all-in on skincare. I spent thousands on serums, creams, and facials, chasing that perfect “glass skin” glow. My skin looked great, but I was still unhappy with my overall appearance. It took me years to learn the most important lesson: skincare is just the paint. If the underlying bone structure—the foundation and walls of the house—is weak or imbalanced, no amount of polishing the surface will give you the look you want. I wish I had invested in the foundation first.