Background: Having a well defined lower third of the face, a good jawline, is one the most important features of the male face. While there are many variations/personal tastes to what makes for a well defined jawline, there are certain essential components to it. These include an adequately projected chin, a desired chin shape (round vs more square), jaw angles that are visible and add lower facial width as well as a smooth linear connection between the front and back of the lower jaw. All of these components added together create a volumetric change to the lower jaw that most patients do not want to appear excessive or unnatural.
The custom jawline implant is the definitive lower jaw enhancing procedure for most patients who desire an overall augmentation change. In designing such a jaw implant there are certain limitations as to how much implant volume can be tolerated (tissue stretch) which may affect one’s desired ideal aesthetic change. There are also other less apparent limitations which go beyond soft tissue tolerance of the implant and is often overlooked…how does the design affect placement. Ideally a custom jawline implant should be able to be placed as a single piece in which the limiting factor is the ability of the jaw angle portion of the implant to safely pass under the mental nerve.
Case Study: This male desired to have a total lower jaw augmentation effect. he had a good occlusion but his chin was short, both horizontally and vertically, which created pseudo submental fullness. His jaw angles and any jawline that existed forward to the chin were essentially invisible.
Using his 3D CT scan a custom jawline implant was designed that created 8mm forward projection and 2mms vertical lengthening with a square chin shape. The jaw angles had 12mms width but no vertical increase as none was needed. A linear connection was made between the chin and jaw angles of the implant.
Under general anesthesia an external submental skin incision was made combined with paired intraoral incisions back by the 2nd/3rd molars on the cheek side. The key to getting the jaw angles of that width to pass under the mental nerves is that they must be folded in half to do so. This is the benefit of designed internal wedges into the jaw angles.
His three year long term results show an improved lower third of the face with resolution of any submental fullness without liposuction.
Case Highlights:
1) Most men desire a lower jaw augmentation that has a more square chin shape, improved jaw angle appearance and a linear connection between the chin and the jaw angles.
2) One of the key components in any jawline implant design is the size and shape of the jaw angles….which is the key in passing it under the mental nerve as a one piece implant.
3) Many men have some degree of jaw asymmetry which is optimally improved by a custom jawline implant design.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana