Chin implants are a very commonly used method of facial augmentation that has been around for fifty years. Despite this long history and common use there continues to be a lack of understanding of the gender differences between the male and female chin and how to select a successful chin implant for them.
In the side view the well known description of the ideal forward position of the chin being at a vertical line dropped down from the lower lip really only applies to men. Most women would view this amount of forward projection excessive. Keeping the projection behind this vertical line is a safe amount of forward projection for them. This is largely acknowledged by some but not all surgeons.
The persistent misconception or lack of appreciation is in chin width as seen in the frontal view. Most women definitely don’t want a wide or wider chin than they have. The use of extended chin implant styles consistently makes a wide/broader chin, which women dislike, but yet surgeons continue to place them. This is an unavoidable aesthetic outcome when you look at how the implant fits onto the bone.
Given that there is no standard female chin implant at the least, when using an extended chin implant in a female, the wings of the implant should be trimmed down to minimize any width creation.
While added width is not a desirable female chin feature some even prefer a more narrow or v-shaped chin. There is no standard chin implant designed to do so. But one can be made by modifying an existing chin implant style The anatomic chin implant has no extensions or wings but it does have a round shape. This can be trimmed down intraoperatively into a true V-shape…which is necessary for the external effect to be more tapered. With a smaller implant that must sit directly on the center of the chin I always used double screw fixation to ensure it stays where it will have its best effect.
Dr. Barry Eppley
World-Renowned Plastic Surgeon