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.

Hi Sharpie,

Chin implants are typically made of silicone and commonly used either alone or with other facial plastic surgery procedures. Rhinoplasty and facelifts are the more common joint cosmetic procedures. Implants may be placed via small incision inside the mouth (intraoral) or under the chin (extraoral). Both approaches are appropriate techniques. The specific decision on the approach is based on other procedures which may be performed at the same time, along with patient & surgeon preference. Plastic surgeons typically perform both approaches as needed.

For example, an older woman with facial aging, a weak chin, neck fat, and sagging skin will typically have a chin implant via an small external incision along with her face lift surgery, since the plastic surgeon most likely will be using a chin incision already to improve the neck contour.

Dr. Chaboki

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.

My personal preference for placing a chin implant is to go through a small incision below the chin. The advantage of this approach is that a larger anatomic chin implant can be placed right along the jaw line. Also, if it needs to be removed or replaced or revised, this is more accessible this way. The other advantage of this approach is that you stay away from the nerves that are responsible for sensation of the lower lip and there is a lower infection rate. Finally, implants that are placed via the mouth can ride higher and are more easily displaced in my opinion.

Both the intraoral and external incisions are acceptable and I perform the procedure from both approaches.  However, each patient is different and one must take into account the anatomy, the size of implant, the particular patients healing potential and the desires of the patient.  Having said that, I performed an intraoral incision for most patients during the first 10 years of my practice, but had 3 get infected from bacteria in the mouth.  In most cases today, I prefer the external incision as the approach is direct, and I have had zero get infected by avoiding the intraoral bacteria.  Discuss your concerns with your surgeon to arrive at the best choice for your individual needs.

The external incision under your chin heals nearly invisibly in everyone. There is no contamination of the implant from oral bacteria whan the external approach is used, and there is a lower likelihood of traumatizing the sensory mandibular nerves when the external approach is used. Lastly, the external approach of placing a chin implant is associated with less operating time, and less downtime (swelling) in my experience.

I hope this is helpful for you.