V-Shaped Face

What is a V-Shaped Face?

A V-shaped face is one where the lower face tapers gently from the cheekbones to a defined chin, with a clear line along the jaw. It is less about being thin and more about proportion: how the cheeks, jawline and chin sit in relation to one another. It is often described as a heart shape or a V-line.

Many people find the lower face looks wider or softer than they would like. That can come from muscle, fat, loose skin or the shape of the chin itself. Treatment can help refine the contour, and the right plan depends on which of these is behind it.

What Causes a Less Defined Lower Face

The outline of the lower face is set by several layers at once: bone, muscle, fat and skin. When one layer changes, the whole contour can shift. A less V-shaped face can come from a range of factors, including:

Jaw muscle size: Strong chewing muscles at the angle of the jaw can leave the lower face looking broader or boxier, and habits like teeth grinding or clenching can build them up.
Lower-face fat: Fullness along the jaw and beneath the chin can blur the edge where the face meets the neck.
Loose skin and jowls: As collagen and elastin decline, skin loses support and can sag along the jawline, softening the V.
Volume loss: Ageing thins the fat pads in the cheeks and reshapes bone, so the mid-face flattens and the lower face can look heavier by comparison.
Chin projection: A short or receding chin can make the jawline look weaker, even when the jaw itself is fine.
Genetics: Bone structure and where you naturally carry fat are inherited, and they set the starting point.

Treatments for a V-Shaped Face at ARTÉ

A V-shaped face usually comes from balancing three things: slimming what is too full, tightening what has loosened and supporting what needs definition. Dr. Michelle looks at your face as a whole and plans the combination at a consultation.

Jaw Botulinum Toxin Slimming

Toxin injected into the masseter, the chewing muscle along the back of the jaw, relaxes it so it slowly loses bulk. This can taper a broad, boxy lower face towards a softer V. It works on muscle only, so it suits people whose width comes from the muscles, not bone or fat. The muscle's size and symmetry are checked first.

Botulinum Toxin

Beyond the jaw, botulinum toxin has a V-line application in facial slimming, and it can also relax the platysma bands in the neck. Easing that downward pull can crisp up the edge between jaw and neck. Results are temporary and are usually topped up over time, with the plan set by your anatomy. It can pair well with jaw slimming when both the muscle and the neck line need attention.

Ultherapy Prime

Ultherapy Prime sends focused ultrasound, with imaging to guide it, down to the face's deeper support layer to prompt fresh collagen. For a V-shape, it can lift and firm the jowls and lower cheeks and help define the line of the jaw. Its effects tend to build gradually over the following months, so it suits a face that has started to drop, not one that is simply full.

InMode Minifx

InMode Minifx combines radiofrequency, gentle suction and pulses aimed at fat cells to treat small pockets of fullness. In the lower face, it can slim jowls and the area under the chin, so the jaw edge shows more clearly. It suits stubborn local fullness, and the contouring effect tends to build over several weeks. Because it treats fat and skin together, it often sits alongside a lifting device.

Morpheus8

Morpheus8 delivers radiofrequency through fine microneedles to reach the deeper layers of the skin. Around the jaw, it can tighten loose skin, refine the contour and reduce small bulges of fat along the jowls and under the chin. It suits early to moderate looseness where the jawline has started to blur, over a course of sessions. Some pinkness afterwards is common.

InMode Forma

InMode Forma heats the tissue gently with radiofrequency, while sensors monitor temperature, to encourage collagen and elastin. For a V-shape, it can firm the jowls, cheeks and under the chin and lend a more defined jawline and neckline. Sessions are comfortable, and results tend to appear gradually across a course. It suits those who want firmer skin along the jaw without needles.

Dermalift

Dermalift uses tiny, highly diluted toxin doses placed shallowly along the lower cheeks, jaw and neck. It can give a light lift and a firmer, tidier look to the lower face. It suits early looseness and anyone who wants a gradual, understated change that supports the jaw contour without adding bulk. It is often combined with slimming or tightening treatments.

Dermal Fillers

Fillers can shape the parts of the V that have lost structure. Placed in the chin, they can improve projection and balance the profile, and along the jaw they can define a soft line. Chin and jawline are assessed together, and filler adds volume, so it will not slim a face that is already full. Dr. Michelle will say if another option would suit you better.

Possible side effects: Mild swelling, redness, tenderness or bruising can occur and usually settles. A consultation is needed first, and results vary from person to person.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I have a V-shaped face without surgery?

Non-surgical treatments can refine the contour by slimming muscle, reducing small fat pockets, tightening skin and adding definition where structure is lacking. The change is usually subtle and gradual, and does not alter bone.

Which treatment is right for me?

It depends on what is softening your lower face. Wide jaw muscles, local fat, loose skin and a short chin each respond to a different approach, and many plans combine two or three. Dr. Michelle will explain her reasoning at your consultation.

How long do the results last?

It varies by treatment. Muscle-relaxing toxin usually wears off over a few months and is topped up, fillers gradually settle over many months, and collagen-building devices tend to build over time. Dr. Michelle will set out what to expect for your plan.

Can filler make my face look wider?

It can, if it is placed where the face is already full. That is why the chin and jawline are assessed together, and why filler is used only where it supports the shape you want.

Will the result look natural?

The aim is a balanced face that still looks like yours. Treatment is gradual and proportionate, and different options can be layered so no single area is overdone.

Why Choose ARTÉ by Dr. M for a V-Shaped Face?

Doctor-Led Care

Dr. Michelle Ng carries out every consultation and every treatment herself, never passing them on to another practitioner. Having practised aesthetic medicine for over a decade, she reads the lower face as muscle, fat, skin and bone together.

A Proportion-First Plan

Not every face should be slimmed. Before any treatment, Dr. Michelle assesses how your cheeks, jaw and chin relate to each other, then decides whether your plan needs slimming, tightening, support or a mix. Sometimes the right answer is to leave an area alone.

Natural-Looking Results

The aim is a lower face that looks refined and in balance, not sharpened to a template. Treatment is conservative, and your expressions and features stay recognisably yours.

Safety-First Approach

Every plan begins with a thorough consultation and is supported by clear aftercare.

Book Your V-Shaped Face Consultation at ARTÉ by Dr. M

A balanced lower face starts with looking at the whole face. Talk through what you would like to change, and which treatments suit your anatomy, by booking a consultation with Dr. Michelle.

Book a Consultation

This page is for general education and is not medical advice. Dr. Michelle will assess your concern at a consultation and advise on the treatment that suits you.