The well defined jawline has become a desirable facial feature. Actually I do not think that a weaker or poorly defined jawline has ever been a desired facial trait. But with today’s aesthetic facial trends highlighted by strong social media exposure has brought this desirous lower facial shape into high focus. While most commonly pursued by men, it is not uncommonly requested by some women as well.
For many patients the only way to really change the shape of their jawline in a reliable manner is with a custom made jawline implant. With a wrap around shape and the ability to set its angles and dimensional thickness, it is no surprise that it can be very effective. In the right face, that is not overly round or has very thick tissues, a more angular or squared jawline shape can be obtained.
But the key in any jawline implant design is what should that shape be? While every person is different and there is no set shape that will work for everyone, there are some basic guidelines I have learned from doing hundreds of these implant designs. (and then seeing their actual effects after being implanted)
For a square jawline implant the first step is to set the angles. From the frontal view the chin should be squared off at the vertical line of the canines. The jaw angles should be squared off at the desired width as well as at the horizontal level of how one wants t set the new jaw angle projection position. (width only, primarily vertical or some combination thereof) This is the hardest angle point to set but one of the most important.
In the side view the jaw angle shape is determined. Here it is important to not make it too square. But doing so it runs the risks of having the back part of the angle end up behind where the masseter muscle can cover it. So it must not be 90 degrees but more open at 110 degrees of so.
The width of the jaw angle should not exceed a vertical line dropped down from the widest part of the zygomatic arch. As you don’t want the width of the lower face to exceed the midface. (unless that is the patient’s desired aesthetic goal)
With this as a general guideline for the jawline implant shape its dimensions (thicknesses) must be determined. For this there are no exact guidelines but the setting of the chin and jaw angle shapes and positions will serve as a good guide.
Despite the fact that wrap around jawline implants are custom designed, it is not an exact science nor is there any guarantee that the patient’s desired result will be obtained. But by following certain design guidelines the chance for a satisfactory jawline augmentation change is more likely.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana