Chin Implant Materials and what are the chin implants made of? what options would i have when i meet with a surgeon?

Chin implants are most commonly made of


solid silicone (silastic)

gortex

medpore


Some surgeons may give you an option among the different types but I suspect most would have one type that they prefer to work with. Silicone is probably the most common option and has a long track record of safety.

Besides implants another chin augmentation option is to use your own chin bone and advance it forward using a sliding genioplasty technique.

Choice of Chin Implant Material less important than Surgeon
The Choice of Surgeon more important than choice of implant is the most important
thing.That being said Goretex, Silicone or Med-por are more predictable than Mersilene. This is because Mersilene comes in fhe form of a soft mesh that is folded multiple times and potentially can be distorted during the healing process. It is also an off label FDA usage of this product.

Both conventional implant materials such as silicone, medpor  and gore tex are reasonable choices for chin implant surgery. Most important by far is the skill and expertise of the surgeon and not the material used. That would be the basis I would use to find the best surgeon. 

Silicone anatomic conforming implants are commonly used for standard chin augmentation. Medpore implants I find useful in situations where there is a goal to increase projection and length of the mandible. Medpore implants require fixation with a screw.

There are a variety of shapes and sizes to implants.
Shapes generally range from button like to progressively larger and longer shapes that wrap around and "hug" the mandible (jaw bone) and are called anatomic.
The most common implants are made of silicone-like rubber.
Other implants have been made of:
Porous polyethylene: a firm bone like plastic and generally are composed to two pieces which lock together due to their inability to bend when placed in a small incision. One tradename is Medpor
Calcium hydroxyapatite: a bone like material which is either molded in a chin like shape or available in an injectable paste
PTFE aka Gortex like substance that is similar to a dense foam
Mesh usually composed of a suture polypropylene material that is layered and formed into an implant by the surgeon and goes by the tradename of Prolene or Marlex.
Custom fabricated implants from a poylmethylmethacrylate material (plastic cement like substance).
Implants can also be autogenous meaning they come from you and can be composed of cartilage (usually your ribs) or bone (skull, hip, rib), etc.
Rarely, the appearance of an enlarged chin can be achieved with injectable materials or autogenous fat.
Lastly, the jaw bone can be rearranged in a procedure called an osseous genioplasty.
I hope this helps!

There are extended anatomical chin implants and pre-jowl chin implants (these give a little more fullness in the pre-jowl area). These are the two most frequently used.
The implants can be made of either Silicone or Goretex.
 

The most common materials for chin implants are silastic (hardened silicone), goretex, and medpor. Medpor is somewhat out of favor in that there is tissue ingrowth thereboy making removed very difficult and damaging to surrouding tissues should it have to come out. Other orthognathic procedures can reposition your own chin bone and secure them in their new positions with plates and screws.

In all, the most commonly offered implants are likely to be silastic and come in several different sizes and shapes.

mike kim, md

 

Patients have many options when recontouring the chin. Patients may elect to receive a genioplasty which is a surgery that advances the chin bone to create a more prominent chin or may also elect to receive a silicone chin implant for a smaller augmentation. The chin implants come in a variety of configurations. They come in a variety of thicknesses that will augment the chin to different degrees and they also come in different shapes that can be customized to conform very well with your jawbone.

Chin implants are made of solid, soft silicone (no gel) called silastic which is what I prefer to use and have done so for over 20 years.  Less favorable, IMHO, are goretex and medpore. Ditto for cheek implants, IMO.

For the most part, for the past 20 years I have been using soft, preshaped, medical grade silastic chin implants. This is an excellent material and numerous companies make implants in every shape, size, and style with it. Which you choose should be worked out with your surgeon and the look you are after.