Surgery Tier · Measure Before Consult

Hardmaxxing

R
By · RealSmile
Facial Analysis Research
Verified
Updated
September 24, 2026
Sources
4 peer-reviewed
Method
How it works →

The hardmax menu, ranked by cost, recovery, and realistic photo impact. Get measured before the consult, not after.

Surgeons sell their specialty. The report gives you an upstream read on which of your metrics are actually weak, and which of those are set by bone, so you walk into the right consult, not the loudest one.

7-9 page PDF · Every metric your photo supports · Each labelled by fixability

Full Report — $14.99 →or Free 17-metric Scan

The scan is free. The report unlocks on your results, one-time.

Why a $14.99 report before $15K of surgery

The most expensive mistake in hardmax is not the surgery that went wrong. It is the surgery that went exactly as planned and still did not move the photo because the underlying metric that was actually weak never got addressed. Recessed-chin patients get rhinoplasty. Skin-clarity-bottlenecked faces get jaw implants. Receded-hairline patients get blepharoplasty. Measuring first removes that miscalibration: the report shows which of your metrics are weak and whether each one is set by bone.

The surgical consult is downstream. The surgeon sees the photo you bring in and recommends within their specialty (a jaw surgeon recommends jaw surgery, a rhinoplasty surgeon recommends rhinoplasty). The report is the upstream read that names which metrics are dragging your score, and which of those are Structural, so you walk into the right consult.

The cost comparison is lopsided: $14.99 against a $15K procedure. Knowing whether your weakest metrics are bone or soft tissue tells you whether surgery is even the right category before you pay for the consult.

The hardmax menu, ranked by realistic photo impact

Orthognathic surgery (jaw)

Largest single-step photo change for class II or class III malocclusion. $20K to $60K cost (often partly insurance covered if functional). 6 to 12 weeks visible recovery, 12 months final result. The biggest gun on the menu and the most calibration-sensitive; measure first.

Rhinoplasty

Highest-leverage for a dorsally-prominent or asymmetric nose. $8K to $20K cost. 2 weeks visible swelling, 12 months until final. Reads particularly well in profile photos. Best result when the underlying issue is structural rather than soft-tissue.

Hair restoration (transplant)

Highest perceived-age and trustworthiness gain for a receded or thinning hairline. $4K to $15K cost. 2 weeks visible scabbing, 9 to 12 months until final density. Often the highest ROI hardmax for users under 35 with early recession.

Genioplasty (chin)

Skeletal chin advancement for a meaningfully recessed chin. $6K to $12K cost. 3 to 6 weeks visible swelling. High photo leverage when chin recession is the dominant weakness; lower leverage when the issue is actually the mandible angle.

Blepharoplasty / canthoplasty

Eyelid surgery for hooded or asymmetric upper lids; canthoplasty adjusts the lateral canthal angle. $4K to $10K. 1 to 2 weeks visible. Best for users whose canthal tilt or eyelid metric is the dragging factor specifically.

Cheek or midface implants

Skeletal augmentation of cheekbone or midface projection. $8K to $15K. 4 to 8 weeks visible recovery. Often better predicted with reversible filler first; commit to implants only after the filler version confirms the photo result you want.

What the report gives you that the free scan does not

The free scan gives you your Face Score and your strongest metric. The $14.99 report adds every metric your photo supports (typically 15 of the 17), each labelled Fixable, Partly fixable or Structural, and a 30-day plan for your 3 weakest. The Structural label is the one that matters here: it marks the metrics set by bone, where only a procedure (filler or surgery) changes the measurement.

The report is not a surgical plan. It tells you which category your weak metrics fall into, so the consult you book is one that can move them.

Honest limits

  • The report is not a clinical consult. It does not diagnose, prescribe, or replace a board-certified surgeon assessment. It is the upstream filter that helps you walk into the right consult.
  • Hardmax interventions carry real surgical risk including infection, nerve damage, asymmetric outcomes, and the need for revision surgery. Read the surgeon's revision rate before committing.
  • The biggest photo change does not always equal the biggest life change. A 10-metric improvement on the looksmax composite is not the same as a 10-unit happier life. Manage the expectation.
  • Some hardmax interventions are partly insurance-covered when there is a functional component (sleep apnea, breathing impairment, severe malocclusion). Ask the surgeon.
  • The scan does not score interventions you have already had. Photos with visible recent surgical changes can produce noisy metric reads; wait until final result before re-scanning.

Hardmaxxing FAQ

What counts as hardmaxxing?+
Any intervention that requires a licensed clinician and changes the underlying skeletal or major soft-tissue structure of the face. The core menu: orthognathic surgery (jaw advancement or rotation), genioplasty (chin advancement), rhinoplasty (nose), implant-based midface or cheek augmentation, hairline lowering or hair transplant, and eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty or canthoplasty). Botox, filler, and skincare are softmax. The line between the two is whether the change is reversible.
Should I get measured before the consult?+
Almost always yes. The risk is committing $15K and 8 weeks of recovery to fix a problem that was actually downstream of soft-tissue or grooming issues. Surgeons see the photo you walk in with and recommend within their specialty. The $14.99 Looksmax Report gives you an upstream read: every metric your photo supports (typically 15 of the 17), each labelled Fixable, Partly fixable or Structural, so you can see whether your weakest metrics are set by bone before you pay for a consult.
Which hardmax interventions move the photo the most?+
Realistically, three. Orthognathic surgery for a recessed maxilla or mandible (large change, large recovery, large cost). Rhinoplasty on a meaningfully asymmetric or dorsally-prominent nose (high-leverage, moderate cost). Hair restoration for a receded or thinning hairline (high-leverage on perceived age and trustworthiness, moderate cost). The other interventions on the menu can be worthwhile but rarely move the metric composite by more than a few points.
What about jaw implants and chin filler?+
Chin filler is softmax (reversible, low cost, lower-stakes baseline of whether chin advancement would even help). Jaw implants are hardmax. Both can move the photo meaningfully for a recessed chin or weak gonial angle but neither is a substitute for actually addressing skeletal class issues if those are present. Get measured, see a surgeon, and ask specifically whether filler would predict the outcome before committing to the implant.
How do I know if my face actually needs hardmax?+
Two filters. Run the free scan, then read your weakest metrics in the $14.99 report, where each one carries a fixability label. If they are Fixable (brow arch, brow-eye proximity), softmax moves them and hardmax is the wrong tier. If they are Partly fixable (jaw taper, lip ratio, facial symmetry), body fat, posture and camera angle move the look first; exhaust those before booking anything. If they are Structural (chin proportion, nose proportion, midface ratio, canthal tilt), they are set by bone and only a procedure (filler or surgery) changes the measurement, so hardmax is on the table and the consult is the next step.
What does the $14.99 report deliver?+
A 7-9 page written PDF covering every metric your photo supports, typically 15 of the 17 (the two that need a profile shot are named, not guessed). Each metric is labelled Fixable, Partly fixable or Structural; Structural means set by bone, and for those the report gives camera and framing tactics rather than a promise. It also includes a 30-day plan with the exact fixes for your 3 weakest metrics. The report is not a substitute for a clinical consult; it is the upstream read on which of your weak metrics are bone before you book one.
How long is recovery for the main hardmax interventions?+
Orthognathic surgery: 6 to 12 weeks until the face looks normal, 12 months until final result. Rhinoplasty: 2 weeks visible swelling, 12 months final result. Hair transplant: 2 weeks visible scabbing, 9 to 12 months until final density. Genioplasty: 3 to 6 weeks visible swelling. Blepharoplasty: 1 to 2 weeks visible bruising. None of these are weekend procedures.
Is my scan photo stored?+
On desktop, analysis runs in your browser. On mobile, your photo is processed in memory by our scan server and deleted immediately after the landmarks are measured — never written to disk. By default nothing is kept: no photo, no copy, nothing used to train anything. There are three exceptions and all three are your choice — you can save a scan photo to your own account, you can submit a photo to the community rating pool, and the paid Audit keeps a thumbnail so you can reopen your report. Each one is deletable, and deleting removes the file itself, not just the link to it.

$14.99 before a $15K decision.

Know which metrics are bone first.

The $14.99 report covers every metric your photo supports (typically 15 of the 17) and labels each one Fixable, Partly fixable or Structural.

Get the Report — $14.99 →or see a sample report first

Filter before you consult

The free scan is the first read. The report labels every metric your photo supports by whether it can change, so you know if hardmax is even the right tier.

$14.99 one-time · 7-9 page PDF · Each metric labelled by fixability

Full Report — $14.99 →Free 17-metric Scan

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