How Will a Chin Implant Feel?

Question

If you get a silicone chin implant, will it feel like bone when you touch your chin? Can you "wiggle" it or does it feel actually connected to the bone and not move when you grab it? I'm afraid it would feel like the soft tissue. Also, how much force does it take for it to move out of place once its finished healing? For example, if someone punched my chin, would it be able to move out of place? Another concern I have is as you age, will the chin implant shift downward or feel unnatural to the touch?

Thomas A. Lamperti, MD · Answer

A chin implant should be quite stable once it heals in its pocket. You can see how this pocket is made in the video link I put in my answer to your other question about chin augmentation. As the body heals in around the implant it keeps it in place and it would be quite difficult to shift it even with trauma.

	You shouldn't be able to move it around. It's covered by quite a bit of muscle and soft tissue and the silicone implant is solid so it should feel more like bone rather than soft tissue.

	My web reference link below discusses the various aspects of chin augmentation.

Kenneth Hughes, MD · Answer

The chin implant is placed directly onto the bone and feels like an extension of the bone. The soft tissue is dedraped over the implant. Pocket dissection needs to be done precisely so that the implant has little chance of moving either early after surgery, years after surgery, or after trauma. Kenneth Hughes, MD Los Angeles, CA

Stephen Weber MD, FACS · Answer

Silastic chin implants feel very natural to the touch. If they are placed properly they will not be mobile or move under your fingertips. The greatest concern is proper choice of the implant which will provide a natural contour that will be in balance with the rest of your facial features. This requires experience. The bottom line is that a well performed cheek implant procedure should create a very natural look and fell. I hope this information is helpful.Stephen Weber MD, FACSWeber Facial Plastic Surgery

Jeffrey Weinzweig, MD, FACS · Answer

The implant is placed directly over the bone. It is covered with soft tissue so the implant will feel very natural. It will not shift as you age and would take a tremendous amount of force to move out of position. However, if this is a major concern of yours you might want to consider an sliding genioplasty in which the bone of the chin is actually cut, moved forward and plated in place. The bone heals in that position within 4-6 weeks and never moves.

William Portuese, MD · Answer

When a chin implant years inserted properly, it will feel very natural just like your own chin. A chin implant is inserted through a small submental incision, and placed underneath the skin,muscle and periosteum. The implant is placed directly over the bone in a precise pocket so does not shift, move, or migrate. On rare occasions the tail may initially become displaced and will need to be reinserted properly. Once the pocket around the implant has healed very difficult for the implant to shift

How Will a Chin Implant Feel?

Answers (7)