Background: A strong jawline is always viewed as a favorable facial feature in a man. This desirable male facial feature dates back thousands of years and is of no less significance today. Once can debate as to why the development of the lower jaw and its attached musculature is so appealing for men, but jawline enhancement procedures are sought out more today than ever before.
Male jawline enhancement, while once thought of exclusively as chin augmentation, has a more comprehensive approach today. The back of the jawline, the jaw angles, have an equal significance for many men as that of the chin. Chin augmentation is largely about creating increased horizontal projection. The jaw angles, in contrast, are about adding lateral and vertical dimensional changes that collectively create a much more defined jaw angle appearance. Unlike the chin the only way to augment the jaw angles is by using an implant.
Complete or total jawline augmentation can be done using standard chin and jaw angle implants. Newer chin and jaw angle implant styles can offer improved jawline results that do touch on an around the jawline approach. But a three-piece jawline implant approach is prone to multiple problems including inadequate/insufficient augmentation, implant asymmetries and lack of a smooth connection between all three implants.
Case Study: This 25 year old man wanted to improve the shape of his jawline in a comprehensive and connected manner. He wanted a custom made jawline implant that provided chin and jaw angle highlights that was connected all the way around the jawline. Using a 3D CT scan of him a custom jawline implant was designed.
Under general anesthesia the custom jawline implant was inserted through a multi-incisional approach. An external submental incision combined with bilateral intraoral posterior vestibular incisions were used to placed the custom jawline implant as a single piece. Small 1.5mm screws were used for each fixation of each jaw angle and a central chin implant point.
While standard chin and jaw angle implants can be used for a total jawline augmentation effect, it is impossible to beat the results of what a custom jawline implant can do. It is the smooth connection between the front and back part of the jawline, the precision fit to the bone, and the ability to correct any pre-existing jawline asymmetries which makes it so appealing and dramatically lowers the potential risk of the need for revisional surgery. The only thing computer designing an implant can not do is to know what exact dimensions of the implant are needed to create the patient’s desired external look.
Highlights:
1) The ideal masculine jawline is a combination of prominent chin and jaw angles that smoothly connected between them.
2) While separate chin and jaw angle implants can produce an improved jawline for some men, it is not an ideal method for a complete jawline augmentation method.
3) A custom jawline implant made from a 3D CT scan provides the optimal method for creating a strong and well defined lower third of the face in a male.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana