Would a chin implant or genioplasty be best to achieve the results I want?

Question

I feel like my chin area is not very defined and looks just a bit too short. I really don't want a big change, but a bit of vertical and horizontal length added for a natural balance and definition. I don't want the front view of my chin to suddenly become wide like i sometimes see w/implants. I would like to maintain the general look of the shape of my face. It's hard to describe what I mean over the internet. I want to keep my cleft chin. (If i go w/genioplasty, I'd like to go w/an oral surgeon.)

Daniel Barrett, MD · Answer

Dear 20niurbrb,
it is hard to tell for sure without an examination. Based on your photos, it looks like you would benefit from chin augmentation. If you are considering a surgery, I would suggest you to consult a board-certified plastic surgeon. Only after a thorough examination you will get more information and recommendations.
Daniel Barrett, MD
Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

Michael P. Morrissette, DDS, FACS · Answer

When the chin is recessive it diminishes the lower facial balance and makes the face appear short. In order to correct this imbalance, either a chin implant or genioplasty can be performed. each procedure has its pros and cons. In general, when the deficiency is greater than 5mm I prefer to perform a genioplasty.

Barry L. Eppley, MD, DMD · Answer

To provide a slight horizontal and vertical chin increase as well as keep the chin narrow a sliding genioplasty would create those exact changes. This will not alter your existing chin cleft.

William Portuese, MD · Answer

A genioplasty is performed in a hospital setting by oral surgeon with an overnight stay, and is usually done  when the teeth are significantly out alignment.  A chin implant can be performed under local anesthesia to cosmetically augment the  chin forward.  Chin implants augment the front part of the mandible in 3 dimensions which included mostly forward  projection, a small amount witdh and vertical height.

Mats Hagstrom, MD (license on probation) · Answer

It sounds like you have your situation pretty well figured out. Both procedures have advantages and disadvantages. Most plastic surgeons are going to recommend a chin implant while oral surgeons I generally generally going to do sliding genioplasty.

The two specialties simply have different philosophies on how to treat the same problem.

There are certainly plastic surgeons who can and do perform good sliding genioplasty procedures and I’m sure there are oral surgeons who have put in implants.

In the end the training isn’t nearly as important as experience and skill.

I suggest interviewing both oral surgeons and plastic surgeons to hear what each specialty has to say and then you can make a better informed decision for yourself.

Even though it may seem like choosing one procedure is the biggest and most important decision the decision of which provider you choose it’s probably in the end going to be more important.

Simply finding a provider who has the necessary skill and experience to deliver results you anticipate without issues or complications is in the end probably more important than which procedure you choose.

Like I said, both procedures have advantages and disadvantages

The following are some general recommendations for those seeking cosmetic surgery to get the best results and have an overall positive experience.

I recommend patients avoid traveling long distances for elective surgical procedures. There are of course instances where there is a lack of local talent and traveling to some degree is inevitable. If traveling for the procedure patients should be ready to travel to have the consultation, post operative appointments and follow up should there be issues or complications.
Patients sometimes do not appreciate the importance of in person consultations, that complications do happen or the number of people who have issues with their results or need revisions.

Schedule multiple consultations with different providers in your area who seem to have a good reputation for the procedure you’re interested in. Starting with at least five consultations seems like a reasonable number to me.

Whenever possible schedule in person consultations.  
During in person consultations ask each plastic surgeon to show all of their before and after pictures for the procedure you’re interested in.

The goal is not to see the best results of their career but to get an idea of what average results look like and get some type of confirmation of how many of these procedures that provider has performed.

Ask to see results that were not as good as the doctor would’ve hoped for and talk about the differences in outcomes.

Honest and experienced providers should have no problems presenting this type of information.

A highly experienced plastic surgeon should have hundreds of before and after pictures for the procedure you’re interested in. At a minimum at least 20+.

Read all the reviews on various physician review websites paying close attention and avoiding providers with any significant number of justified negative reviews.  Providers with an abundance of reviews often have aggressive marketing campaigns.

The plastic surgeons I respect most all have the single variable of not having justified negative reviews on their online profiles. 
In my opinion justified negative reviews are far more telling than an abundance of positive reviews.

Avoid scheduling for surgery or making a deposit on the day of the consultation.  Give yourself some time to think about the decision and make sure you finished all scheduled consultations before committing to having surgery that will permanently and irreversibly change your body.

When in doubt slow down and schedule more consultations.

Choosing the right plastic surgeon is the single most important variable to having a positive experience.

Don’t go chasing after technology or names of certain equipment. Instead focus all your efforts on finding the most experienced and talented board-certified plastic surgeon.

Best,

Mats Hagstrom MD

Would a chin implant or genioplasty be best to achieve the results I want?

Answers (5)

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