Will sliding genioplasty affect front face look (photo)

The thickness of the bone is not as much of limiting factor in moving the chin as are the other effects that I will mention. The side portions of the bone segments are still in contact and the plate can hold the segments together until they heal even with a gap of 4-5 mm. The limiting factors or 2. One is the effect of chin advancement on the front view of the face. One has to be extremely careful not to advance the chin too much on a patient who has long mid-face. Otherwise the face is going to look too long. The second is the groove between the lip and the chin (labiomental groove). Ideally this groove should be around 4-6 mm deep. Any chin advancement beyond 6-7 mm is going to make this groove deeper than ideal which may mandate placement of some grafts (bone or fat) to keep the groove depth within the ideal range. These decision will be made based on careful analysis of the entire face using scientific measurements. However, at no point would it be advisable to aim for a perfect profile while compromising the harmony of the front view of the face since most patients do not view their profile often. Just looking at your profile X-ray it seems to me that your face will look too long if your chin is advanced 12 or even 9 mm without other measures. Although the sliding genioplasty is very versatile and would allow advancement of the chin while it is being moved upwards to prevent too much elongation of the face. You need to consult someone who understand all these ramifications.

Significant horizontal movements of a sliding genioplasty can make the chin look more narrow when viewing the face from the front. Based on our x-ray your sliding genioplasty forward movekent would be between 12mm and 16mms of advancement needed. This will make a significant difference in the appearance of your chin.