The “Mar-a-Lago face” phenomenon is not only a trend that has swept through South Florida but is now making waves in Washington, D.C. However, while this aesthetic surge captures the public’s fascination, experts are raising alarms about its potential consequences.

This cosmetic trend, reminiscent of the once-popular “duck look,” has been a staple in American beauty culture for some time. Its prominence is especially noticeable in regions like Palm Beach, Florida, home to Mar-a-Lago, the opulent estate of former President Donald Trump.

A growing number of individuals, including high-profile personalities such as Melania Trump, Kristi Noem, and Kimberly Guilfoyle, have embraced these strikingly defined facial features. Their appearances have undoubtedly influenced this burgeoning beauty trend.

According to specialists who spoke to the Daily Mail, there has been a significant surge in demand from both women and men seeking to replicate this distinct look. Yet, these experts are cautioning against the rising popularity of such procedures, highlighting potential risks involved.

In light of these concerns, some practitioners have made the decision to refuse certain clients, assessing that they are unsuitable candidates for this transformation. This decision underscores the importance of carefully considering the long-term implications of cosmetic enhancements.

Now they’re issuing an urgent warning of the threat it can pose, and reveal they have turned down some customers who are completely unsuited for it.

The Daily Mail spoke to two experts in the field from the Washington DC area who said they think ‘Mar-a-Lago face’ is ‘worse’ than the ‘duck look’.

Dr Ayman Hakki, a board-certified celebrity plastic surgeon and owner of the Luxxery Medical Spa said: ‘A higher forehead, a thinner nose, thicker lips and more of a defined jawline.’

First lady Melania Trump welcomes the official 2025 White House Christmas Tree outside the White House on November 24

Donald Trump and Melania stand next to the national Thanksgiving turkey during a pardoning ceremony on November 25

He continued: ‘Now it’s almost a square duck look… So it’s actually worse than the duck look.’

Dr Philip Schoenfeld, from Renu Med Spa, said he and his peers used the waterfowl nickname ‘about overdone lips.’

‘Listen, that’s just one part of you,’ he said. ‘I think 1764441074 it’s a whole overall overdone face.

‘Where, again, your features become distorted. And that’s not rejuvenation, that’s transformation – and that’s where it gets dangerous.’

Both plastic surgeons said they weren’t concerned about the safety of fillers, which are used in the lips and other parts of the face to achieve the Mar-a-Lago look.

Melania has publicly denied having major facial plastic surgery, including a facelift, and she has never confirmed any cosmetic procedures.

The women of Washington are seeking out plastic surgeons to give them a version of the so-called ‘Mar-a-Lago face,’ made popular by Trumpworld figures, including Greek Ambassador Kimberly Guilfoyle (left) and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem (right)

Instead, they worry about a slippery slope to looking like, as Hakki put it, Jeff Bezos’s wife, Lauren Sanchez, or Michael Jackson. 

‘It becomes dangerous psychologically,’ Schoenfeld said. ‘But if you’re a good injector, you’re not going to endanger anybody.

‘I think that chronic damage to your face is probably overhyped.’ Schoenfeld said he is fine with making a tweak here and there.

He continued: ‘But if somebody wants permanent changes that make them look more like an Instagram post than an actual human being and they start distorting what reality looks like, I’m going to tell them, ”I don’t think that’s a good idea”.’

Hakki said when asked by a client for such augmentations, he will bring out a charcoal pencil and pad and draw the person’s face to discourage them.

‘There is not a day in my practice that somebody does not come to me and tell me, ‘I want this look,” Hakki said. 

Plastic surgeon Dr Ayman Hakki used Lauren Sanchez, the wife of billionaire Jeff Bezos, as an example of someone who has had too much work done, to the point where she doesn’t look natural  

Schoenfeld has found while the ‘Mar-a-Lago face’ is associated with Republicans, Democratic clients are asking for it too – and both women and men are pursuing it. 

He suggested it is due to Trump’s pursuit of a ‘central casting’ aesthetic. 

‘I think that Trump has attractive people around him,’ Schoenfeld said. ‘So, you want to be part of the inner circle? You’d better be attractive. So you’re doing whatever you need to.’

He added that this mentality has led everyday people to think: ‘I kind of want to look like I’ve had some stuff done, because they look like they’ve had some stuff done.’

Patients are also clearly trying to look like Trump’s wife, the professionals said.   

‘That combination is definitely Melania Trump,’ Hakki told the Daily Mail. ‘Which wasn’t considered really, really beautiful a few years ago, because it’s a little manly.’

Hakki, a board-certified celebrity plastic surgeon and owner of the Luxxery Medical Spa in the DC suburbs, also pointed to the late pop star Michael Jackson as an example of what not to do to your face 

But, experts added, you don’t have to permanently alter your face in order to achieve the look.

Erwin Gomez, a longtime celebrity makeup artist and owner of Karma Beauty Lounge in Georgetown, has seen DC women are also pursuing the ‘Mar-a-Lago face’ through makeup.

‘I can’t even tell you how many times I do makeup, they end up showing me Melania,’ Gomez told the Daily Mail.

”I want to be her. I want to do her smoky eyes. And her very full, plump lips, with the high arch, the very prominent cheekbones.” 

He said that clients across the political aisle are guilty of trying to look more tanned, asking Gomez to apply a large amount of bronzer.

But the way Republicans stand out, he said, is that they ‘attempt to have it all over their face, just like Trump.’ 

‘And, of course,’ he added, ‘everyone is frozen because of Botox.’