Chin Implant & Liposuction

I am hesitant about posting this on the internet for the world to see but I feel an obligation since this site has helped me so much. I decided on my plastic surgeon from this site as well.

I have always had a weak chin, and it didn't really bother me until I started to get some fat under the skin - I am not overweight, but yet I had a double chin any time I slightly tilted my head down. It's something that has consumed me for the past 5 or 6 years. I started to see it in pictures first, and would always be conscious to pose from the front and would cringe any time I saw I was tagged in a picture because it was likely caught off guard and my double chin would be there.

It bothered me when I talked to people because I felt like they could see it. I already look really young for my age, and want to be respected, and I feel the weak chin just made that worse. I was especially disturbed by the double chin since I never had that before, and even when I tried to lose weight it would linger. I would learn in my consultation that it's genetic.

The doctor gave me 3 choices, general or twilight anesthesia in a surgery center, or local anesthesia in the dr. office. This was my very first surgery. I can easily freak myself out mentally, and already had some scary dreams about the procedure, so I decided to do the twilight anesthesia. I was still awake, but very numb and very sleepy. I actually fell asleep at one point on the table and woke up because my legs jumped. I would definitely recommend doing it this way. It's more expensive, but I felt so at ease and comfortable.

The doctor sized me for the implant in the operating room, and I could hear them all agree on a medium. (I went to another consultation before I decided on my Dr. with a different surgeon and he recommended a large... I asked the plastic surgeons on here and they all said large would be too big. I'm glad I got a second opinion. I have small features and I think the large would be too big).

I am 3 days out from surgery today. The first two days were kind of tough... definitely needed pain medicine and had trouble sleeping. I'd get nauseous on and off but had a nausea pill (Zofran) that I could take. I can already tell it's going to be a slow recovery for me. Just today I've had bruises show up on my neck and chin. I'm also really swollen around my chin and it makes me look like a potato head. I have researched so much though, I know this will go away with time. It's just freaky at first.

The hardest/worst part so far is that I cannot feel my entire lower face. My lower lip is extremely numb and constantly tingling/burning. Of course I think the worst possible scenario and think I have nerve damage, but the on-call doctor said it's completely normal. I've been googling a lot too and it says the tingling is a good sign. I cannot talk or eat anything except protein shakes and smoothies through a straw. So that's really frustrating. I'm a talkative person. Also when I move my lower lip fast, I get a shooting pain throughout the left side of my chin. I will ask the Dr. about this at my pre-op tomorrow.

I will post some after pictures soon!

I just had my post op appointment. Dr. is pleased with the results and so am I. It's a small, but big difference. I don't even think anyone will notice unless they fixated on my double chin regularly like I did. Which is good. I didn't want to look different, just a better version of myself.

I asked him about my numbness. He said he has never had it happen, but permanent nerve damage is a risk with the procedure. He said since we used a medium implant, it has probably stretched the nerves out. He checked the inside of my mouth to see if it was out of place, but it wasn't. (By the way we put it in under the chin, which is supposed to be better for avoiding nerve damage).

I am trying not to let myself think that it could possibly be permanent and trying to be optimistic. I know I'm only 4 days out, but it seems like most people didn't experience this. If any of you had, and it got better, I'd love to know about it. This is the only thing really bothering me.

Here is a 5 days post-op picture. As you can see I've got some bruising on my neck, but it's not painful just ugly. I'm especially swollen on the chin, under the chin, and around the jawline, but the swelling has come down a LOT. If it weren't for the bruising I would totally feel comfortable in public. The numbness and tingling in my bottom lip and chin is still there, but I think I am getting a little bit of feeling back. Talking and eating are still hard, but not impossible. I've been wearing a chin strap as much as possible and it's really helping in preventing the swelling from gathering under my chin. No pain or nausea yet today - yay!

Feel free to ask any questions.