When Getting a Chin Implant is It Better to Do Incision Via the Mouth or Under the Chin?

I personally prefer the external approach. The incision heals extremely well and ois very small. Also the implant does not touch the bacteria of the internal mouth, so theoretically infections should be less. The operative time is also reduced with the external approach. In summary, talk with your surgeon about his or her particular approach and what works for them. Both work well in the right hands. Best regards.

Dr D

Although both approaches are acceptable, there is greater chance of infection and injury to the chin muscles using the intraoral approach. I prefer the external incision. It is about a one inch incision placed near the chin crease and in most barely perceptible once healing has taken place.

This comes down to training and experience. Clearly the single primary advantage of placing the incision inside the mouth is the advantage of concealing the scar whereas the disadvantage is placing an implant through likely the most contaminated part of the human body with the potential increased risk of infection as well as the possible disinsertion or disruption of the mentalis muscel. The advantage of placing it under the chin is the cleaner anatomic path but the disadvantage of a potentially more visible incision.

You are asking well thought-out questions. In my opinion, if a young patient is having a chin implant, I prefer an intraoral incision, so there is no visible scar. If I am planning a chin incision anyway, like for a facelift or neck liposuction, then I place the implant through the skin incision. The scar in the chin is generally very acceptable cosmetically.

Both approaches have their merits.  An external approach allows for more accurate placement of silastic implants with less potential contamination of bacteria from the mouth.  Intraoral incision avoids an external incision at the theoretic risk of bacterial contamination and less accurate placement of solid state implants.

My personal preference is to use an external incision for placement of a chin implant. I still believe that it is a more sterile approach than using an intra-oral incision. I also feel like placement is more accurate in my hands with an external incision. My surgical dissection allows a more direct visualization of the lower border of the jaw and affords me a more accurate placement. As others have highlighted, this incision made under the chin heals so well that it is barely perceptible once healed.