For a chin implant, what's the recovery timeline? Can this look like I just lost weight of will it be obvious it was done?

Every patient is different regarding recovery. The technique employed also plays a role. If your chin implant is placed through an incision inside your mouth, there will be no external stitches that anyone can see. If it is placed through an incision under the chin, those stitches stay in on average for a week. If you bruise and swell easily, It will be hard to hide the fact that you have had surgery for at least a week. Some, patients, can return in public after 3-4 days, if an intra-oral incision was used, and if they do not bruise or swell much.The sizing of your implant is critical for a natural proportionate look.

The typical recovery from a chin implant is 7-14 days. I properly placed and size implant will be in complete harmony with your face. For the first week, there may be some bruising, tightness, numbness, and swelling. I have my patients where a bandage during this time. After 1 week, the bandage and stiches from the small incision underneath the chin are removed. At this time, most patients are able to go in public without obvious signs of recent surgery. After 2 weeks, it is difficult for others to tell you had surgery.

To have a subtle appearance of weight loss and refinment of the chin/ jaw area we usually combine a chin implant with conservative liposuction under the jaw area. The recovery is usuall 7-10 days. The incision under the chin is very small and typically not obvious. I hope this information is helpful.Stephen Weber MD, FACS

After a chin implant, there may be some initial bruising and swelling which usually lasts 7-14 days. After that, it usually is not noticeable although there is still some residual minor swelling afterwards for a few more weeks. This is typically only noticeable to you and your surgeon. The vast majority of patients will look good and natural if the implant is placed and sized properly. They will get comments such as "you look great!" or "did you lose weight?" or "did you just come back from a vacation?" So yes, your desire for secrecy is certainly achievable. Best of luck.

Most patients experience 7-10 days of some degree of swelling and mild bruising around the chin area. inserting a chin implant does not look like he had lost weight, just giving more chin projection. 

Realistically during the first few weeks after surgery the explanation of losing weight is probably not going to explain your swollen chin. In the long run that is a very satisfying explanation as your face/neck will look slimmer.

 Hi, I have performed many chin augmentations using silastic chin implants for over 30 years.  When the implant is placed through small, curved incision under the chin in the hands of an experienced chin implant surgeon...the recovery is quick quick.  As described below, we perform the procedure in 30 minutes or less using a local anesthetic.    When the chin is weak, this creates an imbalance making the nose appear larger, the mid face top heavy, the lower face looks short, de-emphasizes the lips and allows early formation of a "double chin".  
 Proper placement of a silastic chin implant adds forward projection to the chin thereby creating harmony and balance to the lower face.  Using the same incision, liposuction can be performed to reduce the fat and further shape the neck.  Excess skin, from below the chin, can also be removed through the same incision.  
 I have found that placement of a silastic chin implant, through a small curved incision under the chin (also allows excess skin removal) to be very safe, quick, highly effective and far less invasive than a sliding genioplasty (requires extensive tissue dissection, bone cuts and placement of metal screws and plates to secure the cut segments of bone).  I perform chin implant surgery in 30 minutes or less, often using a local anesthetic alone.  I
 When consulting with surgeons perhaps ask not only is your chin weak but do they have experience performing chin augmentation?  The selection of the proper size, shape and thickness as well as the proper placement of the silastic chin implant are all "key" elements in creating a naturally looking chin.  
 In my opinion and experience there is no need to secure a silastic chin implants with sutures and screws when the following conditions are met:
 * Select a silastic chin implant ( I prefer the EAC) that doesn't have too much projection (thickness) as this becomes a problem stabilizing the implant under the periosteum when the implant is too thick.
 * Place the implant through a small curved incision under the chin which allows direct access to the periosteum (under the mentalis muscle) while preserving the muscle attachments.  This prevents upward migration of the implant which can occur when the intra-oral approach is used that severs the muscle attachments.
 * While the center or body of the chin implant should be placed at a perpendicular angle the chin bone in order to provide the proper forward projection to the chin, the "wings" of the implant should be at a lower level and follow the inferior (bottom) edge of the jaw line on either side of the chin.  When properly dissected and placed, this will be below the mental nerve foramen and be just wide enough of a dissection to accommodate the tapering wing.  There isn't enough room in this technique to allow the wings to migrate upward and contact the mental nerve.  In contrast if the dissection, along the sides of the chin (jaw line) are performed too high...this will place the mental nerve in danger and if the side dissection is too wide, the wings will have a space within which to migrate upward.
 * We have all of our chin implant patients avoid touching and feeling their chin implant for 1 month post op.  We also ask that they sleep on a U-shaped airline pillow for the same time.
  Our experience when following the technique described above is that the silastic chin implant does not need to be secured with sutures or screws and does not move.  I have placed silastic chin implants in military, SWAT, LE, professional fighters, as well as actors and many regular people who are active.  In addition, I have had the opportunity on numerous occasions to replace silastic chin implants (placed by others) that had been screwed into the bone.  During the replacement it was evident that the metal screws pushed right through the soft silastic implant as it was tightened down on the hard chin bone.  Which makes perfect sense.  So in the long run, these fixation methods alone are no guarantee that the implant won't move.  Proper placement, proper implant pocket creation and meticulous closure of all the tissues layers is what is required in my humble opinion.
 I prefer placement of a  silastic chin implant through a small, curved incision under the chin (submental) instead of through the mouth for the following reasons:
*The submental approach is sterile while the intra-oral approach is not.
*The submental approach requires limited dissection as it is much closer to where the chin implant needs to be placed along the center (front) and lower most sections of the chin on each side (where the wings are placed).  The intra-oral approach by contrast requires dissection all the way down the entire section of the chin in order to reach the same areas for chin implant placement.  The intra-oral leads to several issues in my humble opinion.  The attachment of the chin muscle to the bone must be cut during the tissue dissection, the sensory nerves (mental) and motor nerves (marginal mandibular nerve) that move the muscles of the lips and mouth) are all in much greater jeopardy of injury because of the added dissection required.
 There are numerous shapes and sizes of silastic chin implants, some of which are rather old shapes that do not yield the desired "natural" aesthetic results.  The Curvilinear shape is an example that is similar to the old "button" implants (had no wings or lateral tapering elements of the newer EAC design) that created a "pharaoh" shaped chin.  The EAC or extended anatomical chin implant style offers, in my experience and humble opinion, the most natural, aesthetic result when augmenting the chin.   Hope this helps. 

Chin implants are an amazing surgical choice to
help balance a person's
profile. The surgery is straightforward and has a low complication rate.
The recovery is generally easy, and most of our patients are back to
work 1 week following the procedure. The incision is made under the
chin,
and the stitches come out in 5-7 days; however, keep in mind that each person's recovery is unique. For the most natural-looking results, choose an experienced, reputable facial plastic
surgeon and ask to see before and
after photos of previous chin implant patients. You can also look for a
clinic that has a VECTRA 3D imaging system, which simulates the expected
results so that you can preview what you will look like as the
result of a chin implant.

Usually you can plan to be out of work (ie going into work) for 7-10 days. You will be wrapped with an Ace wrap or similar bandage. I don't know about the losing weight question. I would have to see you to see if perhaps, through the same incision, you might need some liposuction of the neck and tightening of the muscles (called a submental platysmaplasty). Happy to see you in our Stoneham office if you wish. I have attached a link.

Most people will not know you had the chin implant after the swelling has resolved if it is of normal proportions. That takes10 days to 2 weeks. A common comment is "have you lost weight". Donald R. Nunn MD Atlanta Plastic Surgeon.