Sliding Genioplasty with Submental Lipo

The swelling in the submental and neck area has significantly decreased and my jawline has really tightened up! I had a noticeable bulge in the submental area in the first couple weeks post op which I thought would remain for good, but that wasn't the case. That just goes to show how much swelling there really is during the first few weeks of recovering from the procedure and that patience is required until you can judge how it actually looks. Everything looks good on the outside, but inside of my mouth it is still healing and it will take a few more months for it to heal. My smile is no longer crooked, I have full control of movement of my mouth, and I feel tightness in my bottom lip on the left side when I speak (I noticed this around 20 days post op) which my surgeon said will take a few months to subside. The tightness doesn't bother me much as I have become used to it, it's not painful but I notice it. Some parts of my chin are numb eg. I can't feel when there's a drop of water or piece of food on it. Sometimes I feel tingling sensations in my chin and I've become used to that as well. I had a bump form on the left side of my gum which was very small around a week post op which seemed to be going away but then all of a sudden it became large and inflamed around a week ago. I had to go on another round of antibiotics and my surgeon said it will take a few months for the bump and my mouth in general to heal. The bump is sitting on a nerve and it cannot be tampered with. Today the bump is already feeling pretty flattened compared to a few days ago. I continue to use warm saline rinses to help with the healing. Overall I am extremely pleased with the results of the procedure, my double chin is gone which was my main motivation for doing it. I noticed that it gave my whole lower face a bit of a 'lift', the tissue on my lower cheek areas and chin used to look kind of puffy and saggy which is no longer the case anymore. It's a huge improvement and has really made me feel better about my appearance. My surgeon has been very supportive and helpful throughout the entire journey. :)

The past few days have been difficult. A few days ago I had significant pain, hardness and swelling in the submental area. Saw my surgeon for a follow up, he explained those issues were from the lipo. Warm compresses have provided relief. I’ve been put on antibiotics for an infection in one of the oral incision areas and using chlorhexidine gluconate mouthwash. Still using pain meds and went from starting to eat soft foods back to a fully liquid diet until it heals up. My mouth felt very stiff and tight yesterday, I kept feeling like I needed to open and close my mouth wide to stretch it out all day to relieve the feeling. This morning I woke up with significantly less pain with my mouth no longer feeling tight anymore, the urge to open and close it to relieve tightness is gone. Aside from my gums feeling a bit inflamed and very slight tingling/numbness in my chin, my mouth is feeling more like it did pre op. However, my smile is a bit crooked but looks better than it did a few days ago. I can see a big improvement in the appearance of submental and neck areas.

I’m no longer wearing the white surgical bandage they put on my chin at the hospital. I have a lot of swelling in my face/neck/chin along with mild pain in my neck. My chin and bottom lip are still numb, and smile is still crooked. Still continuing to take the prescribed pain meds. I like how my chin looks so far! My mind is adjusting to how my face looks with the slightly longer chin from the front view. I’m hoping to see my swollen neck flatten down over the coming weeks.