Bone Erosion Associated with Silastic Chin Implant

Question

Hi, i wish to have a silicone chin implant procedure to correct a mild weak chin but my main concern after reading on the subject is the "bony erosion" thats seems to happened with this type of implant after some time... Will it really affect the long time result? Is the implant will look smaller after some years and lose the initial results? In fact i would like to know the aesthetics consequence of this bony erosion thanks a lot!

Frank P. Fechner, MD · Answer

For most of us facial surgeons, placement of a chin implant is an extremely gratifying procedure. Chin implants can greatly improve facial harmony and they will truly benefit  the patient for decades to come.

	Having said this, every surgical procedures comes with risks. Personally, I do not consider bone erosion a risk after chin implant. It rather demonstrates the dynamics of our bones over time. The chin becomes less projecting with time anyway, mainly due to soft tissue changes. The overall benefit from a chin implant will persist even if there is some bone erosion. Therefore, bone absorption after silastic chin implants represents an issue of a rather academic interest; but it is still your face after all. Some patients ask me if we should choose a larger size chin implant to overcome a possible absorption of bone. I do not think that this is a good idea.

Edward J. Gross, MD · Answer

Although reported at low incidence in the literature, I have not found this to be a problem (ever) in over 15 years of performing Chin Implant surgeries with Silastic. I would not be concerned with it. Dr. G.

Otto Joseph Placik, MD · Answer

Any implant, including breast implants, can cause bony erosion or remodeling. To some degree also be aware that you will naturally lose bone volume and density with age. That having been said, there are several factors that determine the amount of bone erosion and this is essentially comes down to movement and pressure. Some surgeons beleive that fixation of the implant minimizes erosion. Furthermore, putting a very large implant in a tight skin envelope will likely create greater forces that will promote greater erosion than a smaller implant. Therefore some surgeons prefer to limit the size of the implant to 5-6 mm of projection.

Etai Funk, MD · Answer

After placement of a chin implant, animal studies have demonstrated minor bony erosion.  However, other studies looking at the bone radiographically in humans contest this.  Nevertheless, a study by Binder showed that the aesthetic consequences of minor bony erosion after chin implantation are trivial and should not effect the overall result.

William Portuese, MD · Answer

While some chin implant procedures do tend to cause a small amount of bone erosion, the amount of erosion is usually only a few millimeters over time. The implant can always be removed later in life if so desired. It will not really affect the long term results.

Bone Erosion Associated with Silastic Chin Implant

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Answer: Chin implant and bone erosion

Answer: Chin implant and bone erosion

Answer: Silastic chin implant and bone erosion

Answer: Silastic chin implant and bone erosion

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Everything you need to know about Chin Implant

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Bone Erosion Associated with Silastic Chin Implant

Answers (8)

Answer: Chin implant and bone erosion

Answer: Chin implant and bone erosion

Answer: Silastic chin implant and bone erosion

Answer: Silastic chin implant and bone erosion

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Recommended reading

Everything you need to know about Chin Implant

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.