Is Karoline Leavitt Embracing The 'Mar-A-Lago Face' Trend? Here's What Our Plastic Surgeon Thinks

The "Mar-a-Lago face" trend is taking over the women in the Trump world, and social media users suspect Karoline Leavitt may be the latest to join in. Like many women in Donald Trump's circle, the White House Press Secretary's pre-MAGA and post-MAGA photos don't add up. Take this Instagram photo from 2015, for example. In it, Leavitt is a fresh-faced college girl with soft features, natural lips, and an easy smile. Fast-forward to this pic from 2025, and she now sports contoured cheeks, fuller lips, and a face that seems, for lack of a better word, engineered.

We already know Karoline Leavitt favors outfits that make her look older. Could the "Mar-a-Lago face" be part of her ideal look, too? To get the facts right, Glam spoke exclusively with Dr. Michael Niccole, a board-certified plastic surgeon in Newport Beach, California. Dr. Niccole is also the founder and medical director of CosmetiCare Plastic Surgery Center and MedSpa, and he believes Leavitt's transformation isn't just a case of better lighting and makeup. "There's no question — her lips appear enhanced, so she's likely had some form of lip augmentation," he says. "It also looks like she's had refinement on her nose. Additionally, I believe she's had some fat transfer or filler in her chin and jawline."

According to Dr. Niccole, the 2015 photo shows Leavitt with a "narrow pre-jowl area and a more pointed chin," while the 2025 version reveals "a more sculpted jawline" — the kind that typically doesn't happen on its own. However, there's one feature Dr. Niccole thinks she hasn't touched. "Her lower eyelids still appear hollow in both photos, which suggests she hasn't had any work done there," he notes.

While Karoline Leavitt's transformation raises eyebrows, plastic surgeon Dr. Michael Niccole is hesitant to place her fully in the "Mar-a-Lago face" category, unlike Kimberly Guilfoyle. According to the plastic surgeon, the White House Press Secretary's enhancements are more subtle and nowhere near as extreme as those of other Trump-world women. "Her facial features look refined, not exaggerated," he says.

What stands out most, Dr. Niccole observes in our exclusive conversation, is her skin quality. Karoline Leavitt's latest make-up-free looks are noticeably more vibrant, with even-toned skin that contrasts sharply with earlier, more blotchy photos. He explains that her transformation may not be surgical at all, but the result of consistent professional treatments like microneedling, light laser work, or regular chemical peels. This level of aesthetic upkeep suggests a skilled dermatologist or aesthetician is behind the scenes.

Still, even with the upgrades, some untouched areas leave room for what Dr. Niccole calls "subtle refinements." If she were his patient, he says he'd suggest a stem cell-enriched fat transfer to the lower eyelids to correct the lingering hollowness visible in both photos. He also points to the absence of a defined tarsal fold (the crease between eyelid and brow) and suggests that upper eyelid surgery could, down the line, give her eyes more definition. "These would be subtle refinements to enhance her already beautiful features," he says.