The Complete Transformation Of Ivanka Trump's Face

It's not exactly a secret that Ivanka Trump cares about her looks. The American first daughter and hotel heiress dresses so impeccably and styles her hair so meticulously that one might think perfectionism oozes from her pores. (For the record, it doesn't. It's impossible to imagine anything oozing from Ivanka's pores.) If it seems that entire debates have been dedicated to her style choices, that would be because it is so. As Ivanka's makeup artist, Alexa Rodulfo, once told Hola! in an interview, "I love working with her because even though she always knows what she wants, we both give our opinions and agree to a look." Sometimes, though, Ivanka will not alter her vision for a particular look — and it's no surprise. After all, some of Ivanka Trump's outfits have more of a message than we realized.

As much as Ivanka has allowed her fashion choices to change over the years, her face has perhaps evolved even more. Thanks to Rodulfo's help and lots of contouring, Ivanka's countenance has not stayed the same. But makeup and style aren't the only factors in Ivanka's physical evolution, as many fans have speculated whether she's undergone cosmetic treatments — like when Ivanka Trump's tuned-up look in a 2025 photo sparked plastic surgery rumors. From adorable round cheeks she rocked during her childhood to the ski-slope nose of her later years, Ivanka's face has changed considerably from one year to the next, reflecting a different phase in her life.

The heiress' early years were privileged, yet complicated. Despite all the monetary perks of being Donald Trump's eldest daughter, Ivanka Trump was denied her biggest childhood wish – parental structure and instructions to follow. Instead her parents led by example and weren't always present. She also didn't get to see her father a lot growing up. 

As Ivanka once told CNN, "He always made us his top priority. It doesn't mean he was home every night for dinner — he wasn't. He was working very hard. He was building an enormous business..." As a result of Donald's career aspirations, Ivanka said, she and her siblings did not always get to spend quality time with him. Luckily, though, that didn't impact Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump's relationship. "You know, he wasn't always physically present," she explained, "but he was always available."

Ivanka did not spend a lot of time with her father during her childhood. However, that did not prevent her from inheriting his looks. Photos of the young Ivanka show that she had adorable round cheeks and a pouty little mouth — creating the impression that she was a miniature version of her father. Her slightly curved nose, light hair, and serious expression also make her look like a chip off the old block. During her early years, Ivanka's resemblance to her dad was not especially significant. But, as she grew older, it would become news-worthy.

Despite not spending a significant amount of time with her father, Ivanka Trump was often critiqued for looking like him. Indeed, during the late 1990s, when Ivanka was pursuing a modeling career, critics would note her resemblance to Donald Trump as a reason for her limited success in the fashion industry. In a 1998 article published in Spin, one commentator wrote, "She is, as they say in the business, a 'perfect hanger' for a designer's work. But even by today's unusual-is-beautiful standards, Ivanka's face is not quite right for the job. It's a 16-year-old's face, a not-quite-finished face, with her dad's full cheeks."

Ironically, though, the same piece in Spin reported that Ivanka's connections with Donald were what had landed her a position in the industry to begin with. As one booker for a modeling agency told the outlet, "Money buys everything, and Ivanka's got a father who could probably get her to play on the 49ers if she wanted to. But I think she'll be a big model because right now is a big time for celebrities and personalities, and the Trump name is bigger than ever." These comments came just months after Ivanka co-hosted the 1997 Miss Teen USA pageant — in what many onlookers viewed as a blatant instance of nepotism. As much as Ivanka's face was critiqued for its resemblance to Donald's, her career seemed to benefit from the Trump family name.

Any article that criticizes a 16 year-old's face is pretty inappropriate, but the most uncomfortable part of the 1998 Spin article is that the writer had interviewed Ivanka Trump for the piece. In other words, she almost certainly read the author's unkind analysis of her facial features. For many teenagers, this would have been devastating, but luckily, Ivanka managed to hold her head high following the ordeal. In 2001, she was even confident enough to pose alongside her mother, Ivana Trump, for some apparently make-up free pictures in the Port of St. Tropez. In these shots, Ivanka allowed her gorgeous skin to glow in the sun. She appeared happy and comfortable in her own skin — a difficult feat for many people her age.

But, just because Ivanka projects this image of self-assuredness does not mean that she always feels that way. Speaking on "The Skinny Confidential" podcast years later, the first daughter revealed, "I'm not always confident. I have fears and anxieties just like everyone." Over time, though, Ivanka says she has learned to embrace who she is. "As I've grown into myself, I've become more comfortable with who I am. And I've adopted an attitude of 'It just feels better to be me.' You know? [Rather] than try to be something else, even if people don't like it." In other words, she learned to hold her head high instead of trying to please her critics.

Ivanka Trump's family has long held a prominent position in the media. In practice, this means she's been featured in countless gossip pieces and discussed in numerous online forums. While themes like her career and love life have always attracted attention, the heiress' face has also been a subject of controversy. Around the time of Ivanka's 25th birthday, plastic surgery rumors began to circulate. In some photos, her nose appeared pointier at the tip. And, when asked by Harper's Bazaar whether she had gone under the knife, Ivanka was evasive. "I never begrudge anyone doing anything. They should do what they want to make them happy," she said.

To get to the bottom of these rumors, we talked to Dallas-based, board-certified plastic surgeon, Dr. Raja Mohan. Speaking exclusively with The List about a photo of Ivanka taken at her 25th birthday party in Las Vegas, Dr. Mohan says that Ivanka's facial evolution was likely not the result of "lighting, aging, and makeup techniques." To the contrary, the plastic surgeon explains, "The noticeable narrowing of the nasal bridge, refinement of the tip, and subtle upward rotation all point to the hallmarks of a well-performed rhinoplasty. The bridge appears slimmer and more sculpted in the later photo, while the tip looks more defined and less bulbous than in her younger years." Regardless, Ivanka certainly seemed confident and happy at her birthday celebration. 

By the time 2012 came rolling around, Ivanka Trump was spotted out and about with a blindingly white smile. Some fans began to wonder whether veneers were behind her brighter-than-ever teeth. In 2017, Express even looked back at some of Ivanka's old photos and speculated that she had dental work done around this time. Interestingly, though, experts do not all agree on this topic. Although plastic surgeon, Dr. Dan Marsh, told the British publication that Ivanka's teeth had undergone treatment, actual dentists have another opinion. In fact, Los Angeles-based cosmetic dentist, Dr. Dani Benyaminy, tells The List it's unlikely Ivanka underwent any major kind of dental reconstruction at all.

As Dr. Benyaminy tells us in an exclusive interview, Ivanka's teeth from this time have too many natural flaws for her to have realistically undergone any sort of major procedure. "Ivanka Trump appears to have all natural teeth, there is no indication that she has veneers," Dr. Benyaminy explains. "The misalignment of her smile suggests that her teeth have not been cosmetically altered in a significant way."

If Ivanka Trump has undergone a stunning transformation, her physical changes can't all be attributed to cosmetic surgery. In fact, much of Ivanka Trump's style evolution can be attributed to basic cosmetics, and perhaps nobody knows this as well as her makeup artist, Alexa Rodulfo. Speaking to Hola! about this reality, Rodulfo revealed, "I always accentuate her cheekbones with contouring and the product I use depends on the lighting and whether the makeup is for video, photos, or a gala." On the day of Ivanka's wedding to her husband, Jared Kushner, Rodulfo gave the heiress a bold yet classic look. With dark makeup on her eyes and a nude shade on her lips, the bride certainly stood out. The result helped Ivanka project an image that was confident and graceful.

Of course, makeup isn't Ivanka's only beauty secret. Rodulfo explained that the eldest Trump daughter is very dedicated to health and wellness overall. "Ivanka is someone who eats nutritious foods, exercises regularly, doesn't smoke and protects her skin. That's a really important factor when it comes to her skin looking perfect," she revealed. The heiress is also apparently one to follow most basic beauty advice. She frequently hydrates her skin, wears collagen masks, and never sleeps in the previous day's makeup. All of these habits have apparently helped Ivanka's countenance evolve and mature without the benefit of surgery or makeup.

When Spin criticized Ivanka Trump's face in 1998 for its resemblance to Donald Trump's countenance, the author of the article probably could not have imagined how popular her traits would be almost two decades later. Indeed, by 2017, the apple round cheeks that were once viewed as a negative by the fashion industry would become one of the plastic surgery world's hottest features. As reported by Page Six at the time, surgeons began to receive tons of requests from patients who wanted their cheeks to look round like Ivanka's. Dr. Norman Rowe of New York City told the outlet that Ivanka's perceived confidence may have something to do with Americans' obsession with her features. "Maybe they just like the look, but also that [Ivanka's] a powerful woman, self-confident, part of the first family. Do they want to be her? Yes, deep down, maybe," Dr. Rowe said.

Because of these overwhelmingly positive reactions to Ivanka's face, it is perhaps unsurprising that photos of the heiress from this time show her flaunting her features with relative pride. Shots of the first daughter at the 2020 National Convention demonstrate Ivanka's confidence. Standing at the podium and flashing a wide smile at the cameras, Ivanka allowed her cheeks to pop to the max. As she spoke, she held her head high, revealing her overall sense of self-esteem. 

Although Ivanka Trump appeared happy with her naturally round cheeks, 2024 saw her face grow slimmer. That May — when she was photographed going to a Miami restaurant with her husband, Jared Kushner — Ivanka looked unusually gaunt. Chatting with The List about this change, Dallas-based, board certified plastic surgeon, Dr. Raja Mohan, explains that there's a possible reason for Ivanka's sudden transformation. "Fillers may have been used to enhance mandibular angles and create a more 'snatched' appearance," Dr. Mohan says. The reason behind this theory? In the surgeon's words, "What stands out here is the pronounced lower face contouring, specifically, the clean angle from the cheekbones down through the jawline, with no hint of jowling or volume loss."

Of course, it's hard to say for sure whether or not Ivanka underwent a surgery. After all, as Dr. Mohan notes, "As people age, they often lose subcutaneous fat in the mid-face, which naturally enhances cheekbone definition and can create a sharper jawline, especially in individuals who are already lean." That being said, Ivanka apparently lacks several of the characteristics that we most associate with aging facial changes. Because of this, Dr. Mohan concludes, "While natural aging and weight loss can absolutely play a role in facial slimming, the tight contour and symmetry in this image suggest the likely addition of well-placed filler to enhance and define the lower face."

In May 2024, it might have seemed that Ivanka Trump's round cheeks were gone for good, but time told differently. By September of that same year, photos of Ivanka's trip to Paris revealed that her apple-shaped features were back. This sudden change led some of her fans to wonder if she had gone under the knife. To gain some important insight into this question, we spoke to Dr. Raja Mohan. In the plastic surgeon's opinion, there is a very real possibility that the heiress' cheeks were the result of a surgical procedure. "It's possible Ivanka Trump may have undergone midface volumization, specifically, the strategic use of cheek fillers such as hyaluronic acid-based injectables," Dr. Mohan tells us.

Even so, it's important to note that people's faces often change as a result of weight fluctuations, water retention, or even using blush to lift your cheeks. However, Dr. Mohan says that it's difficult to attribute Ivanka's facial evolution to any one of these things. "This type of fullness is difficult to attribute to weight gain, especially given the otherwise slim contour of her face," says Dr. Mohan. "Natural changes due to lighting or makeup can certainly enhance cheek structure, but the level of convexity and projection in these images suggests something more structural beneath the skin." Ultimately, Dr. Mohan thinks cheek fillers or cheek implants might be behind Ivanka's new look — giving her face that rounded look that she rocked in her youth.

In 2025, some of Ivanka Trump's fans speculated that her nose's pointedness has somehow increased. A number of plastic surgery experts have even gone to the press claiming that Ivanka's nose is shaped like a ski slope — which can be a sign of a rhinoplasty. Since it's difficult to say whether or not Ivanka has undergone one — let alone two — cosmetic surgeries on her nose, we asked Dr. Raja Mohan about the timing of Ivanka's alleged plastic surgery. 

Dr. Mohan tells The List that if Ivanka had indeed gone under the knife, it likely happened many years in the past. "This appears to be a classic case of a subtle, high-quality nose job likely performed in late adolescence or early adulthood," Dr. Mohan tells us. Interestingly though, any potential work on Ivanka's nose would have been so subtle as to escape the notice of most people. Per Dr. Mohan, the heiress' nasal transformation over the years "indicates a likely surgical refinement executed with restraint and skill to create greater harmony with the rest of her facial features." The plastic surgeon also notes the ski-slope quality of Ivanka's nose, observing that "the tip looks more defined and less bulbous than in her younger years." That being said, any potential changes to Ivanka's nose likely took place many years ago.