Weak chin and deep mental crease - How to fix the lower half of my face? (Photos)

Question

This has impacted my self-confidence greatly my whole life, particularly my chin (is it considered “weak”?) and deep mental crease (which is genetic, although I think it may have deepened with age) and my side profile/jawline. Also to note, I have subtle jowl lines that start at the corners of my mouth. I feel like all of these issues are throwing off any symmetry and balance of my face that I potentially have and I look almost “blocky”. All I want is to look more feminine and delicate, but obviously still natural looking. I’ve exhausted my research from looking up different procedures from genioplasty, to fat grafting, jaw surgery, fillers, jawline contouring, chin lipo, face lifts, etc. and am now officially overwhelmed and at a loss as to what would be the best, and preferably, permanent solution. I also don’t know what type of surgeon to look for and obviously am slightly afraid of surgery, as I’m sure are many when considering doing anything like this. I’ve included photos, and the last one being a very rough Photoshop rendering of what I’m hoping to look like. Thank you advance!

Randal Haworth, MD, FACS · Answer

From your photos, your chin does look mildly under-projected (often called a “weak chin”), and that can make the mental crease look deeper and the lower face look a bit heavier than it truly is. The good news is this is usually very treatable, and you don’t need to do “everything.”
Most Effective, More Permanent Options
Chin augmentation (implant) or sliding genioplasty
This is the most direct way to improve balance and profile. Bringing the chin forward often softens the mental crease and improves jawline definition.
Mental crease support (often combined with the above)
Many patients benefit from a small amount of fat grafting or filler to soften the crease itself, even after chin projection is improved.
When Other Procedures Make Sense
Subtle early jowls: if mild, these are often improved with chin support + a small amount of jawline contouring (sometimes filler), and don’t automatically mean you need a facelift.
Jaw surgery: usually only needed if there’s a bite/functional issue (photos can’t confirm that).
What Kind of Surgeon to Look For
Look for a board-certified facial plastic surgeon or plastic surgeon with a strong track record in genioplasty/chin augmentation and natural facial balancing. Bring your goals (and your edited photo) to the consultation so they can tell you what’s realistic for your anatomy.
A consultation is the best way to confirm whether you’re a better candidate for an implant vs sliding genioplasty and whether crease softening should be done at the same time.
Good luck!

Weak chin and deep mental crease - How to fix the lower half of my face? (Photos)

Answers (1)

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