Can You Shorten Your Midface? An Aesthetics Expert Weighs In

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Aesthetics and looksmaxxing authority Austin Wayne explains how to create the illusion of a shorter midface

Co-authored by Austin Wayne and Elaine Heredia, BA

Last Updated: April 4, 2026 Fact Checked

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With Hair

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With Makeup

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With Facial Massage

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With Surgery

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What causes a long midface?

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The trend of making your midface look shorter has taken hold of the internet! Not only is it popular in the K-beauty crowd, but it's also making its rounds in the looksmaxxing community. While there's nothing wrong with having a long midface, you may still want it to look shorter to achieve better facial harmony, look more youthful, or emulate your favorite K-pop stars. Whatever your reason, we're here to help! We partnered with aesthetic and beauty experts to bring you the top tips for “shortening” your midface with hair, makeup, and facial massages. We also explain whether you can "fix" your long midface with surgery. Let's go!

How do you make your midface look shorter?

Aesthetics and looksmaxxing authority Austin Wayne suggests wearing your hair long and opting for curtain-style bangs or side pieces. These changes will soften your long midface features. Here are other hair and makeup tricks to help your midface look shorter:

Part your hair on the side instead of in the middle.
Wear your hair down and forward instead of pushed back.
Grow a short beard instead of a long beard.
Go for a light-colored brow look with very little arch.
Slightly overline your cupid's bow to shorten your philtrum.
Apply blush horizontally across your nose, cheeks, and undereyes.

Section 1 of 5:

How to Shorten Your Midface with Hair

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Wayne suggests having your barber or hairstylist cut curtain-style bangs or side-pieces to create the illusion of a shorter midface. He adds, "Longer hair in general helps soften a lot of the features" of a long midface.^{[1]
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Austin Wayne
Aesthetics and Looksmaxxing Authority

Expert Interview}

Meet the wikiHow Experts

Austin Wayne is an aesthetics and looksmaxxing authority with 9 years of experience in fitness, aesthetics, and self-improvement.

Jamie Bushman is a master hair stylist with over 22 years of experience. She specializes in cutting, styling, and coloring hair, hair care, waxing, and makeup.

Jacob Joseph is a professional barber and the owner of the Barber Lounge Barbershop. His mission is to help men master their beard and hair grooming abilities.

Frankie Sanderson is a makeup artist and stylist, as well as the founder of TheStudeo. His brand specializes in hairstyling, makeup, and personal image consulting services.
Master hair stylist Jamie Bushman says parting your hair on the side instead of in the middle creates a "face-shortening effect."^{[2]
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Jamie Bushman
Master Hair Stylist

Expert Interview} This simple trick is easier to pull off with medium to long hair.

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When you push your hair back, "it's going to add just more height to your head," says professional barber Jacob Joseph. This will "make your head look longer" from the front, he notes.^{[3]
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Jacob Joseph
Professional Barber

Expert Interview} Try wearing your hair down by the sides of your face instead!
Joseph says a long beard will just make your face look longer, too. That's why he recommends going with a short beard instead.^{[4]
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Jacob Joseph
Professional Barber

Expert Interview} If you're not sure which facial hair style will look best on you, check out these 23 short beard styles that work with any face shape!

Section 2 of 5:

How to Shorten Your Midface with Makeup

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Go for a light-colored brow look with very little arch. Instead of combing your eyebrows up to make them thicker, brush them along their natural growth pattern, back toward your temple. Next, use a lighter colored eyebrow pencil to fill in your brows. Or, apply eyebrow bleach or a light brow tint throughout your brow hairs. This look will help your eyebrows look softer and appear closer to your eyes, reducing your long midface.
- This TikTok by @claudiaashao is a great example of the soft, light brow look you should aim for!
As this YouTube Short by @yesstyle demonstrates, applying light eyeshadow just under your lower lash line (as well as on top of your eyelid) can make your eye appear lower on your face. If you decide to apply eyeliner, go for the puppy eye look and draw the wing pointing downward instead of upward. This will draw your eye visually downward and shorten your midface.
Makeup artist and stylist Frankie Sanderson says to apply contour makeup to the bridge and tip of your nose.^{[5]
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Frankie Sanderson
Makeup Artist & Stylist

Expert Interview} Then, use a beauty sponge or a contour brush to blend the makeup into your skin. This contour effect draws your eyes "from left to right, not up and down, which is what you would want to do if you're trying to make your longer profile shorter or smaller," Sanderson explains.^{[6]
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Frankie Sanderson
Makeup Artist & Stylist

Expert Interview}
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Slightly overline your cupid's bow to shorten your philtrum. The philtrum is the space between your nose and your upper lip. Minimizing it can make your midface look shorter from the bottom up! To do that, outline your upper lip like normal using lip liner or your preferred lip makeup product. When you get to your cupid's bow, makeup artist Yuka Arora suggests going a little bit over your natural lip line with the product.^{[7]
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Yuka Arora
Makeup Artist

Expert Interview}
- Even a tiny amount of overlining around your cupid's bow can help your upper lip look fuller and take up more space on your philtrum.
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Apply blush horizontally across your nose, cheeks, and undereyes. Use a powder brush to spread blush across the middle of the bridge of your nose and your cheeks in a straight, horizontal line. Take the blush up to your undereyes, as well. This blush placement creates the illusion of a shorter midface by emphasizing your midface's width instead of its length.
- This YouTube Short by @krystallee shows exactly how to achieve this blush trick!
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Dab highlighter on top of your blush, your nose tip, and between your eyes. Highlighter makeup catches the light from the sun and draws the eye toward specific areas of your face. Using your fingertip, carefully spread a small amount of highlighter horizontally across your cheeks at the top of your blush line. Next, dab a tiny amount on the tip of your nose and on your nose bridge in between your eyes (but don't connect them!).^{[8]
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- Pro tip: Tap highlighter onto your cupid's bow to shorten your philtrum, especially if you aren't overlining your upper lip!

Section 3 of 5:

How to Shorten Your Midface with Facial Massage

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Drag your fingers down the side of your face, from your cheek to your jaw. Position 2 fingertips at the top of your cheek on the side of your face, in line with the top of your ear. Then, with slightly firm pressure, slowly drag your fingers down to your jaw. Repeat this massage on both sides of your face for 10 repetitions.^{[9]
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- Do facial massages actually work? There aren't a lot of studies that say facial exercises work, especially for long-term results. But at least one scientific study showed that massaging your face twice daily for 2 weeks can cause a slight lifting and tightening in your cheek muscles!^{[10]
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  - Facial massages aren't dangerous, so they're totally okay to try and see if they work for you!
Firmly press 2 fingers under your cheekbones to either side of your nose. Next, slowly drag your fingers along the curve of your cheekbones and up toward your ears. Repeat 10 times.^{[11]
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Press 2 fingers to your cheek and massage the side of your nose up to your hairline. This exercise requires you to use both hands, so tackle each cheek one at a time! To start, press 2 fingers firmly against your cheekbone. Then, with your other hand, drag your fingers horizontally away from your cheekbone, then vertically along the side of your nose, all the way up past your eyebrows to your hairline. Do this 10 times, then repeat on the other side of your face.^{[12]
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- Massage your face twice a day for 2 weeks (or longer) to help see the best results.

Section 4 of 5:

Can a long midface be fixed with surgery?

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You can't "fix" a long midface with surgery, but you can help it look shorter. The length of your midface is determined by how your bones are structured. There's simply no way to change that. You can, however, inject dermal fillers or get plastic surgery in certain areas to make the 3 sections of your face appear more balanced. Below is a breakdown of the different available procedures and how much they cost, on average:
- Cheek fillers: Board-certified plastic surgeon Asif Pirani, MD, says you can inject fillers in your cheeks to make your cheeks look wider. "Then the face doesn't look as long," he explains.^{[13]
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  Asif Pirani, MD
  Board Certified Plastic Surgeon
  
  Expert Interview}
  - Average cost: $715^{[14]
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  - How long do results last? Up to 12 months^{[15]
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    Cleveland Clinic
    Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
    
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- Subnasal lip lift: This surgical procedure doesn't shorten your midface, but it helps it look shorter by reducing the length of your philtrum. During the surgery, a surgeon removes a horizontal section of skin from underneath your nose. After they stitch the skin back together, your upper lip will be slightly higher than it used to be, and more of your cupid's bow will be visible.^{[16]
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  Johns Hopkins Medicine
  Official resource database of the world-leading Johns Hopkins Hospital
  
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  - Average cost: $3126
  - How long do results last? Up to 10 years
- Cheek lift: This plastic surgery repositions the fat pads in your cheeks higher on your face. The result is that your midface looks slightly higher and more youthful. Keep in mind, though, that this procedure won't reduce the length of your nose bridge or change your bone structure.^{[17]
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  Cleveland Clinic
  Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
  
  Go to source}
  - Average cost: $8381
  - How long do results last? 10-12 years
- LeFort I osteotomy: This common surgery repositions the upper jaw to help you achieve facial harmony. While it can make your midface appear shorter, it's important to note that it doesn't actually shorten your midface. It's also an intensive procedure that requires at least 4-6 weeks of healing time.^{[18]
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  - Average cost: $10,000-$40,000^{[19]
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  - How long do results last? Permanently

Section 5 of 5:

What causes a long midface?

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Long midfaces are mostly genetic, but mouth breathing can also be a culprit. Most people with long midfaces simply have one because of their genetics.^{[20]
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Research source} In their case, a long midface is normal and nothing to worry about. In rare instances, however, chronic mouth breathing can make your entire face look longer than normal. Children who breathe through their mouths constantly for years may develop a long, narrow face shape, a receding jaw, and misaligned upper and lower teeth.^{[21]
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Cleveland Clinic
Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals

Go to source}
- Talk to your doctor if you notice that you breathe through your mouth a lot. You may have enlarged tonsils, a deviated septum, nasal congestion, or another issue making it difficult to breathe through your nose.
- Remember, there's nothing wrong with having a long midface! No one's face is perfectly symmetrical, so don't feel like you have to hold yourself to an impossible beauty standard. Your so-called "flaw" is part of what makes you uniquely you!