The chin plays a vital role in determining one’s overall facial structure. When the chin is out of proportion with other features, it can make your facial contours appear imbalanced. This is why patients seek chin augmentation surgery to fix receding chin issues.
Whether a patient feels they have an underdeveloped chin due to trauma or birth defects, reconstructive surgery, including inserting a chin implant can help create good facial balance.
This page will discuss how a chin augmentation implant can help to correct facial asymmetry. We will analyze what this cosmetic surgery is for and discover the results you can expect.
What is Chin Augmentation Surgery?
A chin augmentation surgery is a procedure to reconstruct the chin by increasing its projection and enhancing the jawline. A well-developed jawline is the traditional hallmark of a well-defined face. A chin augmentation procedure improves the face’s shape, contour, and balance by rejuvenating the chin.
When faced with a chin-related issue, a doctor may either advance the bone or use a chin implant, depending on the case. In some situations, non-surgical procedures like injecting dermal fillers or Kybella clinic appointments may also help solve the problem.
However, the most popular and effective chin augmentation process are chin implants. Chin augmentation is also known as genioplasty or chin enhancement.
How Does a Chin Implant Work?
A chin implant surgery is a relatively straightforward procedure where a plastic surgeon makes a small incision in your skin, inserts implants, and molds it to your chin bone to create a balanced look. Your doctor will create balance by using implants to push the chin extension proportionate to your nose.
Chin implants come in different sizes, styles, and shapes, and a comprehensive consultation with your doctor will reveal which one complements your face better.
How Chin Augmentation Adds to Facial Balance
Everyone has a unique facial structure, and the specifics of what a facial augmentation procedure will do to a patient’s face are worked out between a doctor and the patient. Dr. Thompson offers a comprehensive one-on-one consultation session where the patient describes their ideal look.
A well-defined chin can make all the difference. It complements the ears, nose, and cheeks for a more poignant look. Depending on the patient’s needs, it can:
- Add to the strength of a chin.
- Reduce the appearance of jowls.
- Add to the length of a chin.
- Increase the chin’s vertical height.
- Increase projection.
Here are some particular ways chin augmentation can add to facial balance.
Better Overall Facial Balance
A great chin implant will complement your nose, forehead, and jawline, creating better facial symmetry. A chin implant procedure usually produces a more aesthetically pleasing appearance by enhancing your unique contours to meet your ideal look.
Most plastic surgeons typically use it to widen a small chin, especially for patients with chins that appear smaller than other facial features. Chin augmentation is so important to a general facial plastic procedure that doctors often combine it with other procedures to create an unmatched facial balance.
Improved Symmetry on Both Sides
Some patients have chin assymetry. For example, one may notice that the chin looks good on one side but has some imbalance on the other. This situation is usually due to a deficient mandibular border.
In this case, your doctor would consider a chin implant that can be custom-carved down to achieve the desired symmetry. This may be either silastic or medpor chin implant, as both are great for this purpose.
Sometimes, doctors incorporate fat grafting along the mandibular border to create a natural but more refined facial symmetry.
Enhanced Neck Structure
A disproportionate chin often makes it appear like the tip of the chin and the neck start at the same spot. When this happens, your face will appear puffier and bulkier than it is.
A facial chin augmentation procedure improves this. Your chin will feel more proportional, and the edges and angles will be better defined. This will give the appearance of a more angular neck and a younger look.
Better Side Profile Balancing
An asymmetrical side profile is defined by a chin that’s extended too far out, or just slightly behind with a line that drops down from the nasal base. If the chin doesn’t extend far enough, a person will have poor facial profile balancing. It can also appear as if the patient has a full or “double chin.”
This is where augmentation comes in. A chin implant will extend the chin to match the nasal base and improve your facial profile.
Reduced/Increased Nose Prominence
Some patients who benefit the most from chin implant surgery are those with seemingly protruding noses. A recessed chin contour can make your nose appear too large for your face, especially if you already have a prominent one.
A chin augmentation will support the current bone in front of the jaw to define the chin and make the nose appear smaller. Doctors sometimes supplement the procedure with rhinoplasty to achieve a more harmonious balance.
Male vs. Female Chin Augmentation Facial Results
Men and women tend to have different expectations of a chin augmentation procedure. Men are more inclined to request prominent and well-defined jawlines, while women are inclined to request a softer jawline.
However, each patient is different. You can discuss your specific needs with your doctor and get the result and procedure that suits what you want. Dr. Thompson will encourage you to articulate your desires and help you achieve perfect facial harmony.
Different Chin Augmentation Procedure Options for Facial Balance
As we’ve mentioned, there are cases where a chin augmentation will need to be combined with additional procedures to get better results. You can’t fully determine the necessary procedures yourself, but a private consultation with Dr. Thompson will help you set realistic expectations and decide.
Here are a few of the possible options.
Chin Implants + Neck Liposuction
This is an option for patients who come in for chin augmentation to correct their neck appearance or excess neck fullness. A chin implant will define the chin and make it stand apart from the neck, and removing the fat in the neck will achieve more youthful results.
Chin Implant Surgery + Nose Job
Patients who come in to enhance or reduce their nose prominence will often be recommended to combine it with a chin enhancement procedure for an improved appearance.
Facial Implant (Chin Implants + Cheek Implants Surgery)
A facial implant can help to augment your facial structure. A facial implant procedure involves adding silicone to needed areas around the chin and cheek to augment a patient’s facial structure.
This will significantly improve facial structure and help you keep your head elevated.
Other possible options are:
- Double chin surgery.
- Facial masculinization surgery.
- Facial reconstruction surgery.
- Neck lift.
- Facelift (rhytidectomy).
Book a Chin Augmentation Consultation in Denver Today
If you think chin augmentation may be the right procedure for you or if you are wondering if you qualify for it, don’t hesitate to consult Dr. Thompson in his Denver office today. You can call (303) 622-3288 or schedule an appointment here.
Chin Augmentation FAQs
Here are some frequently asked questions about chin augmentation.
Chin implants are durable, biocompatible medical devices that are made to last a long time. They are most commonly made of silicone. But they can also be made of fat tissue, real bones, GoreTex, Dacron, Teflon, or artificial bone.
Chin implant is a simple procedure. During the procedure you will be placed on general or local anesthesia, or a sedative. The doctor will make a small incision adjacent to the patient’s cheekbone or the jawbone or even inside the mouth. Dr. Thompson pays attention to incision placement to ensure there’s no visible scarring.
Your doctor will secure the chin implant incision using dissolvable stitches or glue. Then, they may apply a bandage and an antibiotic ointment/treatment.
If sutures are used, your doctor will remove the them a week post-procedure, and swelling should decrease in a few weeks.
Like every other surgical procedure, chin augmentation has some risks. Patients can experience bruising, swelling, and puffiness for at least 2-3 days post-procedure. Some possible complications may include asymmetry, poor wound healing, scarring, infection, bleeding, and pain.
But Dr. Thompson has the experience to avoid these complications as much as possible. He notes a patient’s risk factors and creates a personal treatment plan for each patient.
They are all chin augmentation procedures used selectively for different needs. Chin fillers are dermal filler injections used to create volume. They are mostly hyaluronic acid or other substances injected beneath the skin that fade over time.
On the other hand, fat grafting or liposuction is a plastic surgery procedure to remove excess fat from a body part. For example, fat from the belly can be added to the chin to bring the chin forward. It’s a minimally invasive procedure that delivers a natural look.
