How much of a concern is a chin implant scar?

Question

I consulted a few board certified plastic surgeons in my country (India) today. Both doctors thought that my chin's vertical height is good but I needed a little more projection. I Some of the doctors suggested the intra-oral approach while another stated that he preferred sub-mental as it was cleaner. I am wondering iabout the nature of the submental approach scar. Please do advice.

Paul Lanfranchi, DO, FAOCOO · Answer

Thank you for your question. The surgeon who recommended the submental skin approach was correct in stating that the chance of infection is lower via this route. The one consideration is obviously the incision that will be needed to placed under the chin to place the implant. If properly placed this incision should be approximately 1 1/2 cm in width and should be placed in the natural crease under the chin (that most people have). If care is taken to close this incision (ie a "multilayer" closure), there really should be no residual scar at all. Be sure your surgeon gives you antibiotics to prevent infection, and be sure he/she performs this procedure on a regular basis.  Best of luck to you!

Lawrence Rosenberg, MD · Answer

they are both excellent approaches.  The  external scars heal very well and are minimally visible.  The intraoral route works very well also.  In most cases the approach depends on patient preference.

Francis R. Palmer, III, MD (retired) · Answer

Hi, I have performed many Chin Augmentations, using chin implants, for over 30 years.  A non smiling profile photo of your face would help in evaluating your chin.  A weak chin creates an imbalance making the nose appear larger, the mid face top heavy and the lower face look short that de-emphasizes the lips and allows early formation of a double chin.   Chin augmentation using a chin implant will add projection to the chin creating harmony and balance to the lower face.  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 and highly effective.    I perform many chin implant surgeries, under local anesthetic, in under 30 minutes.  The small, curved incision, under the chin, creates a well hidden and aesthetic appearing scar.  IMVHO, chin implants should not be placed through the mouth (intra-oral incision) for the following reasons:Intra-oral surgery is far less sterile than the transcutaneous approach.The intra-oral incision is much larger, taking more time to perform the surgery and to heal post-operatively.The dissection must cut the mentalis muscle attachment leading to possible chin ptosis.When dissecting the tissues from above and cutting the muscle attachment,  the barrier preventing upward implant migration into the buccal sulcus is removed allowing upward shifting of the implant.The submental skin incision has non of these unwanted side effects making it a far superior technique in experienced hands, IMHO.Hope this helps.

Dennis Barek, MD (retired) · Answer

In 40 years of inserting chin implants intraorally, I recall one infection out of perhaps 1000+ such cases.A risk ,yes, but quite uncommon. There is a risk of infection in virtually all surgical cases.

How much of a concern is a chin implant scar?

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How much of a concern is a chin implant scar?

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Everything you need to know about Chin Implant

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