【】Objective: To explore the aesthetic effects of maxillary expansion surgery (MSE) and traditional rapid maxillary expansion (RME) on the soft tissues of the nose, lips and chin in adolescents with insufficient maxillary width.Methods:Sixty adolescent patients with insufficient maxillary width who were treated in our hospital from January 2024 to October 2025 were selected. According to the plan, they were divided into the MSE group and the RME group, with 30 cases in each group. The aesthetic indicators such as nasolabial angle (NLA), upper lip protrusion degree (ULP), mentolabial angle (LLA), Z angle, soft tissue facial convex angle (G-Sn-Pg′), and nasal columella-labial angle (CMLA) before and after treatment were compared. The expansion width, bony expansion efficiency, and buccal inclination of the molars were also analyzed.Results:After treatment, the NLA and CMLA in the MSE group were greater than those in the RME group (P < 0.05), and the ULP was smaller than that in the MSE group (P < 0.05). The bony expansion efficiency and expansion width of the MSE group were both greater than those in the RME group (P < 0.05), and the buccal inclination of the molars was smaller than that in the RME group (P < 0.05).Conclusion:Both MSE and RME can effectively improve the aesthetic appearance of the nasal-labial-mental soft tissues in adolescents with insufficient maxillary width. However, MSE outperforms RME in terms of nasal aesthetics and improvement of the upper lip projection.