Hi, I have performed many facial shaping procedures, including Chin Augmentation with dermal fillers or silastic chin implants, for over 30 years. Sliding genioplasty is far more invasive of a procedure than augmenting the chin with a silastic chin implant. The other advantages of using a silastic chin implant are: quick procedure which can be performed using local infiltration, speedy recovery, far less prone to motor nerve or sensory nerve injury, implant can easily be removed. Personally, I'd add another advantage for using silastic chin implants and that's a greater ability to shape and correct weak chins. Chin implants offer a greater degree of "shape correction" and forward projection than a sliding genioplasty that re-positions some portion of an already weak chin bone. I can't imagine selecting a bone surgery when there's a quicker, easier, safer and more effective option of having a silastic chin implant. This is most likely why you received that opinion during your consultations. When the chin is weak, this creates an imbalance making the nose appear larger, the mid face top heavy, the lower face looks short, de-emphasizes the lips and allows early formation of a "double chin". The silastic chin implant adds forward projection to the chin thereby creating harmony and balance to the lower face. Using the same incision, liposuction can be performed to reduce the fat and further shape the neck. Excess skin, from below the chin, can also be removed through the same incision. I have found that placement of a silastic chin implant, through a small curved incision under the chin (also allows excess skin removal) to be very safe, quick, highly effective and far less invasive than a sliding genioplasty. I perform chin implant surgery in 30 minutes or less, often using a local anesthetic alone. Hope this helps.
