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  • Chin Augmentation: Implants or Injectible Fillers?
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Facial balance is really important, obviously, to making us look our best, and an area that's commonly not thought about is the chin. Everybody knows you want to have a nice nose. They want their eyes to look good. But when the chin isn't in balance with the rest of the face, it really can throw things off. It can make us think our nose is bigger, or it can make us think that our neck is aging faster than it really is. So, when you have that small chin, you don't have a good balance and a good barrier between face and neck. So, let's just take a few minutes to talk about how we can make our chin look the best.

This is what a chin implant sizer looks like, meaning this is, when you go to the doctor's office, what they're going to show you. But this isn't actually what the implant is made of. We don't put in big, blue implants. The implants are actually made of a thin, frequently a silicone-type material that's perfectly safe and doesn't migrate. It sort of looks like this clear material right here.

Implants for the chin can be put in in two ways, either through the mouth or through a small scar underneath the chin. You can discuss which you think is the best for you. Frequently, your doctor will have a preference. I frequently suggest that we do it through the outside because the mouth is kind of a dirty place. So, it's nice not to go put an implant in through the mouth.

Chin implant is a fairly quick recovery, and the results can be seen immediately. There'll be some initial swelling, but once that settles down, you'll already begin to see a nice improvement to facial balance. It can also help if you have some submental fat right here. You feel like your neck is kind of drooping in or you're having some early jowls. When you have a nice strong chin, it can really help to fill that in and make the neck look thinner and get rid of a little bit of that wattle that you have there.

Now, a lot of people are kind of intimidated by the thought of having an implant, and there's other ways that you can improve your chin. And that is by using fillers. Whether you use Restylane or Juvederm, which are commonly known and last about six months, or whether you use something longer lasting like Radiesse, which lasts about a year, or Sculptra, which can last up to two years, these are good choices to try out what a stronger chin will look like rather than jumping forward with the implant. Restylane and Juvederm are actually nice choices because if you want it, they could actually be dissolved. There's an injection that can dissolve them within 24 hours, and it's a really nice way to kind of give it a try before investing.

Chin Augmentation: Implants or Injectible Fillers?

Dr. Yael Halaas explains the importance of facial balance with a chin implant. She also explains the non-surgical alternative to a chin implant.