Explore Plastic Surgery

While chin enhancement in both increased projection and width is desireable in men, the exact opposite is true in women. A narrower more refined chin helps contribute to a more oval facial form. When one looks at a woman’s face and it is more square, the question is whether this is due to a bony prominence at the mandibular (jaw) angles, whether it is due to a square chin shape, or both. If a wide square chin is the main contributor to the undesired lower facial contour, then bony reduction of the chin can be performed.
Bony chin reduction by burring or shaving down the lower border, in my experience, produces only a minimal result. In addition, it also has the risk of creating a soft tissue sag due to the extensive stripping of the soft tissue off of the bone in order to be able to do the procedure.In the July2008 issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Park and Hoon Noh from Korea address chin narrowing by a chin osteotomy and midline resection. This is an easy variation of a chin osteotomy and I have also found it very successful for chin narrowing. (and it can be used for chin widening as well) One of the key technical points is to make sure to burr down the edge of the bone where the lateral side of the chin is moved in and to resuspend the mentalis muscle well. The risk of temporary mental nerve numbness should be the same as with shave reduction only as nearly same amount of soft tissue stripping is needed.
Like all chin osteotomies, there is more swelling and temporary numbness than will occur from a chin implant for example. But the long-term result is worth it. Chin narrowing, combined with mandibular angle reduction, can be very effective in the most square of faces.
Dr. Barry Eppley
http://www.eppleyplasticsurgery.com
http://www.ologymd.com
Clarian North Medical Center, Carmel, Indiana
Clarian West Medical Center, Avon, Indiana
Indianapolis

Chin Augmentation by Osteotomies in Indianapolis by Dr Barry Eppley

When one thinks of chin augmentation for cosmetic purposes, the use of a chin implant typically comes to mind. And while the vast majority of chin augmentations are, in fact, done with an implant, there are some patients who may better benefit by a different approach. As opposed to putting an implant on top of the chin bone to bring it forward, an alternative approach is to cut the chin bone itself and bring it forward.

A chin implant is a very effective, simple and safe procedure that has very few complications. This accounts for why chin implants are widely used. While chin implants infections and migration (shifting from its desired position) after surgery is uncommon, they are risks nonetheless. Furthermore, when large chin implants are used, they may ‘settle’ into the bone over many years, a phenomenon known as pressure bone resorption. For these reasons, in select patients, moving the chin forward may be a better treatment option.

Chin osteotomies (cutting the bone and moving it forward) is done through an incision inside the mouth. (rather than under the chin as with an implant. It is technically more difficult than an implant and has more swelling and recovery than a simple chin implant. Also, there is usually temporary loss of feeling of the lip and chin after that takes several weeks to months for full return of sensation.

The important question is……who is a better candidate for a chin osteotomy as opposed to a chin implant ? The criteria that I use is….if you have a large chin deficiency and are young (under 30 or so), then the use of a chin osteotomy is a valid consideration. In this type of patient, a bigger operation with more recovery is worth the long-term benefits. Once the bone heals after surgery (which is held into place by small permanent plates and screws), it will stay that way forever without any risks of infection, implant migration, or loss of augmentation (settling into the bone) for the rest of your life.

Dr Barry Eppley
http://www.eppleyplasticsurgery.com
http://www.ologyspa.com
Clarian North Medical Center, Carmel, Indiana
Clarian West Medical Center, Avon, Indiana
Indianapolis