Melania Trump's Face Transformation Since She Met Donald

As first lady of the United States, Melania Trump is known for her poker face — a calm expression that is difficult to read. Over the years, the subtle changes in her face have been dissected and interpreted by both the media and the public. However, Melania's face hasn't only changed since she moved into the White House in 2017; it actually began changing when she entered the public eye as businessman Donald Trump's girlfriend. As time went on, the first lady's features became a highly sought-after look, as plastic surgeon Dr. Vartan Mardirossian revealed to Life & Style in 2017 that photos of Melania are often what his clients bring in as inspiration.

"The high cheek bones are a feature that is commonly encountered in the Eastern Europeans and all the way into Eurasia and Asia. It is a feature that makes many Eastern European women very attractive and in fact, some of the most attractive women in the world come from Eastern Europe," he explained. The plastic surgeon added that his clients often "ask for advice on how to achieve a similar youthful appearance as she has," he shared, adding, "I have also had injectable patients bring photos of Melania's lips requesting for a similar amount of fullness in their pout."

Melania was in her late 20s when she was first linked to Donald, so it's likely her face had already undergone a few changes from her youth. But the transformation since that point is evident, and we're not just talking about potential beauty procedures or makeup changes — Melania has also adapted a more serious facial expression, as the FLOTUS is rarely seen relaxed or smiling. But let's not get ahead of ourselves as we begin with Melania's face in 1998.

In order to fully understand Melania Trump's face transformation, we have to go back all the way to 1998, when Slovenian model Melania Knauss met U.S. businessman Donald Trump at a New York Fashion Week party. "He wanted my number, but he was with a date, so of course I didn't give it to him," Melania revealed to Harper's Bazaar in 2016. "I said, 'I am not giving you my number; you give me yours, and I will call you.'"

At the time, Melania had the classic '90s model face, including sharp features, skinny eyebrows, and dewy skin. Being in the spotlight was new to her, which is why she always seemed thrilled on red carpets. In fact, it's hard to find a photo of Melania from 1998 in which she doesn't seem happy or isn't smiling, which is in stark contrast with her reserved facial expressions of the 2010s and 2020s. Apart from her radiating happiness, back in the late '90s, Melania had a subtle gummy smile, which seems to have disappeared since. Gummy smiles can be treated either with dental work or Botox, but neither of the two has been confirmed in Melania's case. 

In the 2000s, Melania Trump's face slowly changed, as Donald Trump's wife embraced heavier makeup. Instead of her dewy and fresh makeup looks of the '90s, Melania wore a smokey eye nearly every day. Of course, her smokey eye would seem out of place without a full face of makeup, which is why the Slovenian-born model was now rocking a heavy foundation base, darker eyebrows, and 2000s-coded shiny nude lips.

As the socialite was strutting through her 30s, she had more public appearances, and one thing that became increasingly noticeable was that Melania — who made the switch from Knauss to Trump as she married the businessman in 2005 — became a huge fan of a sun-kissed tan. In fact, as the decade was nearing its end, Melania embraced an overly fake sun-kissed tan, which was similar to her husband's infamous orange tone. However, in her case, the bold makeup somewhat balanced it out, while his tan remained the most noticeable thing about him. Still, the soon-to-be first lady's overly bronzed cheeks remain one of Melania Trump's biggest makeup mistakes. 

As the 2010s kicked off, Melania Trump became known for her smize — a style of posing for cameras that was popularized by supermodel Tyra Banks. Squinting with her eyes, Melania's facial expressions in the first half of the 2010s consisted of barely ever smiling and always giving off an unapproachable look. While the transition to this was gradual, it was a far cry from the always-smiling Melania of the late '90s. Apart from smizing, Melania also changed her face by cutting straight-across bangs, which instantly changed her face shape and accentuated her eyes even more. 

In 2011, Melania opened up to Allure about her skincare, saying that she stuck to the same routine for years. "Early in my modeling career, when I was a teenager I really took care of my skin," she explained. "I didn't get too much sun exposure and I moisturized." In the same conversation, she revealed that she had never done any injectables. "I don't get any Botox — even though it's been reported elsewhere that I've had Botox done. I'd never do anything on my face or my body," she shared. "I think you age naturally — everybody's aging. What's the purpose? If you have Botox done and full lips and all that, if it makes you happy, fine. But it's not for me. I think in a very European way ... I'm 40 years old. I don't want to look like I'm 15 or 20 years old." 

In 2012, Melania announced that she was going to launch her own creams with caviar, however, we still don't know what happened to Melania Trump's skincare line, as the products never made it to stores.

Once she officially became first lady of the United States in 2017, all eyes were on Melania Trump. Every change in her appearance was dissected to pieces. Prior to moving into the White House, she enjoyed having fun with her look and changing her hair to switch up her appearance, but since 2016, she has been sticking to the same hairstyle — long balayaged locks. And when it comes to makeup, the same applies as the former model stuck to a regular glam routine that she seemed satisfied with. In 2017, her hairstylist Mordechai Alvow revealed that sticking to the same look was an intentional choice. "We didn't want to be changing things up," he told the LA Times. "I think there is a time for that, and that wasn't the right time. It was very important psychologically to let people know who she is and show some stability with the look."

While subtle fine lines became apparent around Melania's eyes and forehead, many noticed the sustained volume in her face. Online, the speculation about what potential beauty procedures Melania could have had done kept growing. In 2017, users on Reddit shared their belief that Melania had undergone a facelift. "... seeing Melania's pre-surgery pic, I can see [Barron Trump] actually looks a lot like her," one user wrote. Of course, Melania never confirmed going under the knife, and considering that she was always diligent about her skincare, it is possible that she maintained youthful-looking skin thanks to non-invasive beauty procedures and top-tier products. After all, the FLOTUS can afford the best for her skin. 

In the 2020s, it became clear just how much Melania Trump's face changed since we first got to see her as Donald Trump's girlfriend. For one, Melania adopted a serious poker face, rarely showcasing her emotions through her expressions. When she did smile, her overly white teeth nearly blinded us. The first lady also embraced a heavy makeup look with dark eyeshadow and dramatic eyelashes, all of which added to the smizing effect, which is undeniably a look she loves. 

"When we talk about eye makeup, the number one rule as we age is less is more. If your concerns are loss of elasticity on and around the eyes, then this needs to be followed," celebrity makeup artist Philippa Louise explained to Hello! in 2025. "Melania does define her brows and more often than not, has a smoky eye, however, I don't feel it ages her. It is simply executed to perfection with the correct textures and application."

And while some signs of her age are visible, Melania still has a very youthful look, which isn't really surprising given that she used to be a model. Though we consider her to be one of the political ladies who would look totally different without rumored fillers, it's also possible that the FLOTUS is telling the truth when she says she has aged naturally.