PImagine a plastic surgeon's office. You can imagine an elegant practice in Los Angeles with discreet entrances designed to hide celebrities from the paparazzi. Maybe a high-rise in Dallas where housewives spend money on postpartum “mommy makeovers.” Or the place in Miami where influencers and OnlyFans stars film their BBLs on TikTok. One city you might not have thought of is Washington, DC. But his buttoned-up reputation belies a newly emerging industry.
Much has been made of the so-called “Mar-a-Lago face,” or the uncannily smooth and artificially voluminous facial features seen on members of the Magician's elite such as Kristi Noem, Kimberly Guilfoyle, Laura Loomer and Matt Gaetz. Plump lips frozen from bee stings, frozen eyebrows and a tight neck are compared to Real Housewives stars, demons of sleep paralysis and—ironically, given the GOP's anti-LGBTQ+ culture war— drag queens (without mannered fun).
According to Axios, as of January, plastic surgeons in Washington, D.C., had seen “an uptick in requests for the 'Mar-a-Lago face' from Trump insiders.” reported. Surgeons told the publication that more and more Washingtonians want their procedures to be obvious and over-the-top rather than unnoticed.
Axios attributed the aesthetic shift to an influx of transplants from south Florida (where Mar-a-LagoTrump's flamboyant private club) who are no strangers to ankle lifts. Others suggest that undergoing these procedures is a calculated act of political deference to Trump's preferred (and unnatural) beauty standards.
Dr. Anita Kulkarni is a plastic surgeon practicing in the West End of DC, specializing in in postpartum figure correction. Walk into her office and you'll be greeted by employees who look good but don't work hard—which is what most of her clients were looking for. “Before Trump's second term, I just didn't see many patients coming in with unreasonable requests,” Kulkarni says. But since the inauguration she has put up half a dozen or more – a small sample, but enough for the surgeon to take note.
She says no one comes and asks Mar-a-Lago by name; The most obvious clue is when a patient with visible lip filler wants more. “I have to say, 'I can't put any more in there safely.' Or they might want to add more fillers to their cheeks or chin. “In my opinion, if I put anything else in there, you'll go from being the best version of yourself to being Maleficent.” I have to say no like I never have before.” And yet patients will try to do more. But applying fresh filler to an existing layer too early can lead to clumps, and Kulkarni doesn't want to risk becoming famous for the look.
“My aesthetic doesn’t have to match your aesthetic for me to give you what you want,” she says. “But when you go beyond what a normal human face should look like, I don't want to go to that place.”
Even more people might shrug and say that the face of Mar-a-Lago is part of the community. wider coverage of body contours. Kris Jenner is ageless 70th anniversary The facelift may look less garish than Laura Loomer's overblown trappings, but both are just as phony. This comes as the American Society of Plastic Surgeons reports more than 28.5 million minimally invasive procedures were performed in 2024; Lip augmentation, dermal fillers, and neuromodulatory procedures (such as Botox) ranked in the top five.
Dr. Troy Pittman, a plastic surgeon in Washington, says that across the country, people are more willing to talk about the work they've done. “It’s not bad,” he said. “But in a city like D.C., Washington has become more glamorous with the new administration, so it's become more common. They don't mind looking better.”
Dr. Kelly Bolden is also a plastic surgeon based in Washington. Most of her clients are people of color (she is the medical director of Cultura Dermatology, a practice that specializes in cosmetic procedures for deeper skin tones), and she doesn't see a boom in requests for facials at Mar-a-Lago. But she's noticed a change, especially among her younger clients in their 20s and 30s.
“They come in and tell me they like the artificial look. Several of my patients have said exactly that to me,” Bolden says. Some of Trump's most visible officials are young, such as press secretary Caroline Leavitt and her deputy Anna Kelly (both 28, the latter a former pageant queen), and they are always camera ready. “I think that most [Trump’s] The administration is younger than the traditional administration, so that is probably the reason for this trend.”
Those who want a Mar-a-Lago face must be able to handle needles: Bolden says this is most often achieved through needles and injections under the skin. “It’s the overuse of fillers and Botox that gives them the mask-face look.”
This is not the image Bolden is known for. Sometimes she flatly refuses these requests. Or she will compromise. “I usually look at them and say, 'Let's balance you out, let's make you more even.' It's like if they get a little more it will satisfy them,” she says.
After the Duchess of Sussex announced her engagement to Prince Harry in 2017, Pittman said women brought photos of Meghan to meetings and asked for her nose. “It's a trap,” Pittman says. “We're not trying to make people look like clones of each other.” In the same way, he would criticize someone who brought a photo of Ivanka or Melania Trump. “Whenever people come asking for a brand image, it can either lead to very unrealistic expectations or artificial results.”
Other plastic surgeons promote the Mar-a-Lago face. Training in Boca Raton, Florida, less than an hour from Mar-a-Lago. calls it's a procedure that “doesn't scream surgery. Instead, it screams sophistication.” Dr. Sherwin Naderi, who lives in the District of Columbia, described the look as a “modern aristocratic mask” in his practice. blog.
When does the patient realize that it is time to ease up on the procedures? Bolden says this is not usually done; The industry term is “perceptual blindness.” “When someone first gets filler, most of the time everything looks good,” she said. “Then people get used to it, see the wrinkles come back or sag, and say, 'I need more.' They are chasing something without even realizing it. A little more, a little more, and you won’t be able to see the evolution.”
The aesthetics of politics have long been a difficult topic, especially as it relates to women. Nicole Russell, USA Today columnist called Mar-a-Lago jokes face 'vicious attacks' on conservative women. For others, the face has become a symbol of devotion to Trump and his policies. Look at Noem dressed in a glamorous outfit during an ICE raid, the beach waves washing over her body armor. Or Leavitt on the press podium, insisting Trump's name in Jeffrey Epstein Email means nothing as she purses her pink, contoured lips to match her shimmery eyeshadow.
Men have not escaped political aesthetic shifts either. Ninety-two percent of surgeons report treatment for male patients, with a facelift and jawline sculpting being the best choice. Pittman told Axios that his male patients want to look “younger…more masculine and masculine” like Pete Hegseth through Botox, liposuction and eyelid rejuvenation. A worthy contrast to the leading women of Maga.
But like trends, administrations come and go. The Mar-a-Lago face won't last forever—literally. “Nothing in plastic surgery is permanent,” Bolden says. “The filler goes away. Most people will say you'll get eight to 10 years after a facelift. Everything has a lifespan.”
