How hard is it to remove a chin implant and how long is the recovery?

As you can see, there are many different types of implants:

Silicone (smooth surfaced)
Medpor
PTFE
Mesh
Hydroxyapatite.

The silicone are by far the most popular and quite easy to remove under local.
The others however can be quite complex.
The first step is to find out the type of implant.
The second step is the size. Small implants (5-6mm or projection or less can be easily removed without much consequence). Larger implants may stretch the skin or actually cause bony erosion.

Removing a chin implant is generally straightforward but would take different amount of time depending on the implant material because the connection between your own tissues and the implant are stronger with some materials. In addition, in many instances it is important to re-suspend the soft tissue of the chin to ensure that it doesn't change the shape of the chin and make it sag.Either way the amount of swelling will be perceived as less significant than with the chin augmentation.

Removing a silicone chin implant is a pretty simple and quick procedure, although other types of implants may present a greater challenge. After the implant has been removed, you can expect to experience noticeable swelling and sagging skin while your body heals. The doctor will be able to remove the implant through the original incision site, ensuring no extra scarring is produced.
Unfortunately, your skin may never return to its original tightness after being stretched for a prolonged period of time due to the chin implant. If you would like to know more about the procedure and what results you can expect, schedule a consultation with a board-certified plastic surgeon to learn more. Hope this helps.

Thank you for your question. I agree with the
other physicians who have answered this question in that it is crucial to know
what kind of implant was previously placed. Depending on how long
the previous implant has been in, porous materials, such as MedPor,
may be somewhat difficult to remove because of how integrated into the
tissues they may have become (i.e. the pores or holes in the material
allow cellular in-growth from the adjacent tissue). Silicone impants, which are
quite commonly used because of their pliable and non-reactive nature, are very
easy to remove. Larger implants are also more difficult to remove than smaller
implants. Overall, removal of a non-porous chin implant is a relatively quick,
in-office procedure and recovery is generally less intense than that
experienced with the primary/original procedure. Expect 7-10 days of bruising
and swelling that will start to subside over a period of 6 weeks.

Chin implant removal can take as little as 10 minutes or over an hour depending on the material used.  If you want the option of easy removal, a silastic implant is the easier to remove and, in my opinion, the most natural appearing.  Chin implant recovery in general lasts 2 weeks. The first week you have to take it easy without any strenous activity or bending over. If you have a chin incision, then taking care of the incision with antibiotic ointment and peroxide is important several times a day. If the incision is in your mouth, then rinsing your mouth with the antiseptic solution recommended by your doctor several times a day, plus a soft diet for a week, is recommended. On day 7, you can work out, bend over, lift heavy objects, and use makeup. However, you will still have bruising and swelling that will be obvious to others. On day 14, you will be able to be out and about and acquaintances will not know you had anything done including coworkers. To you, your chin will still look large. Your perspective will improve at 21 days as the swelling subsides and you start to appreciate the shape of your new chin. By 28 days, patients are ecstatic with their results.

Removal
of a chin implant is actually really straight forward and should not take more
than 30-45min. The recovery is also relatively short. I hope you found
this information helpful.

The decision to remove a chin implant is a personal one. Your goals need to be defined with the help of an esthetic facial surgeon. A well defined chin balances the face and creates a more aesthetic profile. A balanced chin also helps define the neck line improving sagging jowls and the neck line. If the implant is removed, a depression may remain in the chin. The alternative is to have a genioplasty surgery to correct a microgenia (small chin) and to balance the profile. Ultimately, I recommend seeing a facial plastic surgeon for a consultation.

Removing a chin implant,
usually if it’s a silicone type
it’s not a challenging
procedure. However, if it’s made
of another type of device or has a screw fixation it may be a little more challenging. Recovery is usually about 3 to 5 days.

Chin implant removal is generally straightforward, and can be done with local anesthesia. This is true for the most common type of implants (Silastic, or silicone-plastic), which form a capsule in the tissue and do not integrate with the surrounding skin or bone.  For other types of implant materials, removal may be more complicated.

Chin Implant removal is usually straight forward and can be performed under local anesthesia with a short recovery time. At times Medpor or Goretex implants can have tissue ingrowth and a bit more involved to be removed.

 

Most silicone or silastic implants are easy to remove under local anesthesia with IV sedation. Others may have embedded deep in the bone and require more work to extract them.  In some patients the skin may collapse and cause wrinkling and in others the scar will give an auto augmentation effect. Sometimes it is necessary to replace the implant with a smaller one.