ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Bristol Palin admits her recent change in

appearance was due to a procedure — but not plastic surgery.

The 20-year-old daughter of 2008 GOP vice presidential candidate

Sarah Palin tells Us Weekly that she underwent corrective jaw

surgery in December, a month after she finished third on ABC’s

“Dancing with the Stars.” Her face now appears thinner, with higher

cheekbones and an angular jaw.

The new look, complete with Palin losing 5 pounds, was unveiled

April 30 at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in

Washington, D.C.

“Yes, it improved the way I look, but this surgery was necessary

for medical reasons,” she told the magazine for its May 23 issue,

which will be on newsstands Friday.

Palin said she had the procedure so her jaw and teeth could

properly realign.

While growing up, she wore braces and a device to help correct an

overbite. But she said her dentist warned her that she’d have to

have surgery one day.

The Palin family’s lawyer declined to comment to The Associated

Press on Tuesday.