Is changing more always prettier? A step-by-step comparison

Sit through consultations at a few clinics and the list of procedures can grow long.

You may start out thinking only about your eyes, but the conversation can extend to the nose, the cheekbones, then the jaw. Each comes with its own rationale, which makes any one of them hard to cross off.

So we applied them to one face, one at a time, in the order eyes → nose → cheekbones → jaw. Each step was added on top of the previous result.

This is the starting face

The original photo before any procedure

All four steps below start from this photo. The position of the face and the expression are held constant, so at each step you can compare only what changed.

Step 1: Eyes

Face with the eyes done

The eyes were where the difference showed first. This step alone changes the impression of the photo.

Step 2: Eyes + nose

Face with eyes and nose done

The midline of the face gets tidier. The difference is not large, but the whole face looks a touch more composed.

Step 3: Eyes + nose + cheekbones

Face with cheekbones added

The upper side line of the face comes inward. From this step on, the sense that the face shape has changed outweighs the individual features.

Step 4: Eyes + nose + cheekbones + jaw

Face with all four steps applied

This was the biggest departure from the original. It is also the step where, placed next to the original, the least of the original face's character remains.

All of them side by side

Original — Before. — **Original** — Before.

Amount of change and satisfaction are not the same axis

The measurements kept growing with every added step. At step 4, face width, jaw width and lower-face length had all moved the most.

But "does it look best" is a separate question. In this comparison, steps 2 and 3 looked the most composed, while step 4 leaned toward a face where much of the original character had faded.

Which step is better is, of course, a matter of taste. Still, changing more of the face does not mean satisfaction rises along with it.

Deciding on an order works better

Instead of doing everything at once, you can approach it like this.

Start with the one thing that bothers you most
After recovery, once you are used to that face, judge the next one
By then, some items may no longer feel necessary

Change four things at once and, if you are unhappy with the result, it is hard to tell which part is responsible. If reversible and irreversible items are mixed together, it deserves an even more careful look.

All of them side by side

Amount of change and satisfaction are not the same axis

The measurements kept growing with every added step. At step 4, face width, jaw width and lower-face length had all moved the most.

But "does it look best" is a separate question. In this comparison, steps 2 and 3 looked the most composed, while step 4 leaned toward a face where much of the original character had faded.

Which step is better is, of course, a matter of taste. Still, changing more of the face does not mean satisfaction rises along with it.

Deciding on an order works better

Instead of doing everything at once, you can approach it like this.

Start with the one thing that bothers you most

After recovery, once you are used to that face, judge the next one

By then, some items may no longer feel necessary