Is it Best to Have Chin Implants Before A Rhinoplasty?

Chin implant and rhinoplasty are two procedures which are commonly performed at the same operation in order to restore facial balance. The profile of the nose and chin are altered with these procedures and it has been shown that if one is left undone the perceived result of the operation is compromised. I would always discuss this with my rhinoplasty patients after the review of their photos. A chin implant is usually a silicone and I usually place this through a small incision under the chin. This procedure adds about an hour to the rhinoplasty surgery, but really does not contribute to prolonging the recovery after the surgery. I would consider doing both the chin implant and rhinoplasty at the same time if your surgeon does do these operations.

The decision of chin implant and rhinplasty is highly dependant on both your nasal and chin anatomy.  Whether or not a chin implant, a rhinoplasty, or both would give the best cosmetic result can best be determined in consultation with your plastic surgeon while viewing and discussing your images.  If you are unsure, I would recommend consultation with several physicians.

There is no question that the chin and the nose are interrelated and are best addresses together. Performing the chin operation separately or ahead of time, does not provide you any specific advantage, other than cost savings. When balancing the nose and chin, you must decide, along with your surgeon, what might be the right chin operation for you; a chin implant, a sliding genioplasty, or a chin reduction. There are advantages to an implant (easier recovery and sometimes less costly) and disadvantages (external scar under chin, possible bone loss under the implant over the years). The main advantage of a sliding genioplasty (moving the chin bone forward) is that it tends to be good for life when healed and the incision is hidden inside the mouth. From a surgeon's stand point, and when possible, genioplasty and rhinoplasty are best performed together.

Rhinoplasty and chin implant are usually done together. I begin with the chin first and then so the nose,

Chin augmentation and a concurrent rhinoplasty can be a nice way to achieve facial harmony, assuming there are the procedurs that you would need.  I suggest finding a surgeon who can explain the benefits of performing these procedures together and how they work to affect the proportions of your face.  Seeing examples of cases that were done by the surgeon is always a great way to start.  Many surgeons, including myself, use computer imaging software to demonstrate these points to the patient.

Chin augmentation can help to balance out the facial proportions and in patients considering rhinoplasty can allow your surgeon to be more conservative with creating a smaller nose.

If you're interested in both chin implantation and rhinoplasty you could certainly have them done concurrently. I find that preoperative computer morphin can help immensely with this decision process as it allows you to see how changes in both areas inter-relate. You can read my link below that walks through an example of this process.

Your chin and nose
are both important characteristics in your face and both are in balance with
each other. If you have a small chin, this may make your nose look
proportionally large as a consequence of your chin. Having combined chin
implant surgery and rhinoplasty will often give you the best result as both are
balanced at the time of surgery. In addition you only have to undergo a single
surgery, single anesthesia, and recovery time is reduced. I often complete the
two procedures together often to ensure your appearance is as balanced and
natural as possible.

There is no reason to do a chin implant apart from a nose operation. Both operations are commonly done together and can restore balance to the face.

The chin implant and a rhinoplasty can be done at the same time under the same anesthetic, and the patient will have one recuperative time period after surgery.  They can be done separately, but the patient will have separate recovery times.  The two surgeries, although they change different parts of the face, they do affect each other.  A retrusive chin will make a nose look larger and a large nose will make a chin appear more retrusive.  When a large nose and retrusive chin are present, both rhinoplasty and a chin implant is recommended to create facial balance.

When a chin implant is considered along with rhinoplasty we often refer to this as "profile-plasty". The reason being that a certain balance is sought on the profile view between the chin and nose. In that, doing both at the same time will usually result in better harmony, as well as, convenience.