What the Mar-a-Lago Face Is, and What Dr. Naderi Does Instead
If you have searched for the “Mar-a-Lago face,” you have seen the pictures. Very full cheeks. A smooth forehead that hardly moves. Sculpted lips, a sharp jaw, a small nose. It has become one of the most talked-about looks in cosmetic medicine, and patients from McLean to Bethesda ask us about it.
So we’ll say it plainly up front. Dr. Shervin Naderi, a double board-certified facial plastic surgeon with more than 20 years in practice, does not create the Mar-a-Lago face. It is not his aesthetic and it is not his technique. If that is the look you are after, he is not the right surgeon for you, and he will tell you so at your consultation.
His work goes the other way. The goal is a face that looks rested and younger and is still clearly yours. Below we explain what the trend is, why Dr. Naderi’s aesthetic is different, and how his approach works.
“I understand why people are curious about it. But it is not a natural face, and it is not what I do. When I have done my job, nobody can tell you had surgery. They just think you look great,” says Dr. Shervin Naderi.
What Is the Mar-a-Lago Face?
The name comes from Mar-a-Lago, the private club in Palm Beach, Florida. The phrase spread through news and social media in 2025 to describe a polished, high-maintenance look, and it has become shorthand for cosmetic work that is meant to be seen.
Coverage of the trend describes a consistent set of features:
- High, very full cheeks
- Taut skin and a forehead with little movement
- Full lips with a sharply drawn outline
- Lifted, strongly defined brows
- A sharp, angular jawline
- A small, narrow nose
- Very white teeth and bronzed skin
The look is rarely one procedure. It is usually layered over time: filler in the cheeks, lips and jaw, Botox, eyelid surgery, a facelift, laser treatments and veneers. Without steady upkeep it fades, which is one reason people who chase it often keep adding more.
Why Dr. Naderi’s Aesthetic Is Different
Any one of those features can be lovely on the right face. The trouble starts when all of them are pushed to the maximum on every face, whatever its age, bone structure or heritage. Proportions change, and the face stops matching the person.
Cheeks are a good example. A little volume restored where it was lost looks youthful. Volume added well beyond that sits heavy on the midface, and when the person smiles it can bunch and look puffy. Lips filled past their natural border tend to be the first thing anyone notices, before the eyes or the smile.
Movement matters too. A forehead that cannot move does not look young; it looks still. Much of what makes a face warm and approachable comes from small movements around the eyes and brows, and heavy dosing takes those away.
Then there is tension. Facelift techniques that pull mainly on the skin can leave a face looking tight, flattened or windswept. Skin was never meant to hold up the weight of the face, and over time a pulled look gets more obvious, not less.
Together, these choices produce a face many people now recognize at a glance. That recognition is exactly what Dr. Naderi works to avoid.
“Beauty is about proportion and harmony. When one feature is pushed too far, everything around it looks wrong. I would rather do less and have a patient look like themselves than do too much and have them spend years trying to undo it,” says Dr. Naderi.
How Dr. Naderi Approaches a Natural Result
Dr. Naderi starts with the patient’s own anatomy, not a trend. He looks at what has actually changed with age, such as where volume has been lost and where tissue has descended, and treats that. The result fits the face in front of him.
Deep plane facelift. Instead of pulling skin tight, the deep plane technique lifts and repositions the deeper layer of the face that has moved down over time. Because the support comes from underneath, the skin lies naturally, without tension. The jawline gets cleaner and the cheeks sit where they used to, without a pulled look. Results typically last 10 years or more, and how patients care for their skin afterward makes a difference.
Deep neck lift. Much of what makes a neck look heavy sits below the neck muscle. Dr. Naderi works on those deeper structures first and then tightens the muscle, which gives a defined neck and jawline that looks smooth rather than stretched.
Rhinoplasty. The trend favors one small, narrow nose for everyone. Dr. Naderi has more than 20 years with a strong surgical focus on rhinoplasty and performs a high volume of ethnic rhinoplasty. He shapes each nose to suit the person’s face and heritage, so it looks like it was always theirs.
Botox and fillers. Every injection at The Naderi Center is done by a physician. Filler goes where volume was actually lost, in measured amounts, and lips are shaped within their natural outline. The practice has been injecting lips for more than 20 years. Botox is dosed to soften lines while keeping your expression.
Skin. Healthy skin does more for a youthful look than heavy contouring. The practice’s board-certified dermatologist, Dr. Alexandra Snodgrass, provides cosmetic dermatology, including laser treatments that improve the skin itself.
“The best compliment a patient can get is that they look rested and nobody can say why. Nobody should be able to point to what was done,” says Dr. Naderi.
Looking for Natural, Refined Results?
It starts with expert technique and an honest plan. Appointments available in Reston, VA and Chevy Chase, MD
This Is Not the Practice for the Mar-a-Lago Look
Everyone is entitled to the look they love; this simply isn’t the work Dr. Naderi does. We would rather be upfront than have anyone book a consultation expecting something we will not do. Dr. Naderi is probably not the right fit if you want:
- Cheeks or lips made as full as possible
- A forehead that does not move at all
- A face pulled noticeably tight
- A nose or features copied from someone else’s photo
He is a good fit if you want to look like yourself on a very good day, years younger, with a result people notice without being able to name. He will also tell you when a treatment is not in your best interest, even if that means doing nothing at all.
“If someone shows me a photo of that look and says it is what they want, I will be honest with them. I am not the right surgeon for that, and I would rather say so in the consultation than disappoint someone after surgery,” says Dr. Naderi.
Already Have Work You Are Not Happy With?
Many patients come to us after treatment elsewhere went further than they wanted. Areas overfilled with hyaluronic acid filler can often be softened with an enzyme called hyaluronidase, which the practice keeps on hand in both offices. Once the face settles, it can be rebalanced with a lighter hand. Patients also travel to Dr. Naderi for revision rhinoplasty, and he will walk you through what can realistically be improved.
Natural Facial Plastic Surgery in Northern Virginia, Washington DC and Maryland
The Naderi Center sees patients from McLean, Great Falls, Vienna, Arlington, Alexandria, Bethesda, Potomac, Chevy Chase and across Washington DC at two offices:
- Reston: 1850 Town Center Parkway, Pavillion II, Suite 551, Reston, VA 20190, (703) 481-0002
- Chevy Chase: 5454 Wisconsin Ave, Suite 1655, Chevy Chase, MD 20815, (301) 222-2020
Virtual consultations are available for patients who live farther away. Book a consultation.
Dr. Shervin Naderi is a double board-certified facial plastic surgeon and Fellow of the American College of Surgeons with more than 20 years in practice. Newsweek recognized him for rhinoplasty every year from 2023 to 2026 and for facelift surgery in 2026.
Mar-a-Lago Face: Common Questions
Medically reviewed by Dr. Shervin Naderi, double board-certified facial plastic surgeon.