The chin: genioplasty or chin implant

What the chin does

The chin gives proportion to the lower part of the face: it supports the lower lip, defines the angle between chin and neck and supports the tissues under the jaw. It can be small, sit further back or forward, be long or short, or lean to one side. In men it tends to be wider and squarer; in women, narrower.

Often, what looks like a small chin is a lower jaw that developed less. In that case, the chin is only one part: we cover it in Class II face and Bimaxillary retrusion. That's why the first step is to know whether what's missing is in the chin or in the base that supports it. The same goes for the nose: it can look prominent without being the problem, because it stands out when the chin sits back. What matters is the face in its overall harmony, not one isolated part.

Genioplasty: your own bone, in its place

In a genioplasty, the chin bone is separated from inside the mouth, with no visible scars, and fixed in a new position with small titanium plates. Because it's your own bone, it can be moved in every direction: forward, back, longer, shorter, centered or rotated.

It isn't always the same surgery: there are several techniques, and the right one is chosen for your case. The chin is assessed together with the rest of the face and the lower jaw, which makes it possible to improve facial contours and proportions and achieve overall harmony with a natural result. It's planned on the digital clone of your face and can be done on its own or together with jaw surgery.

Recovery isn't long and doesn't call for major restrictions after surgery. The risk of infection is very low. After about three months the bone has healed: it's your own, normal bone, and it stays stable over time. And when the chin moves forward, the tongue muscles attached to it move forward too, which can widen the lower part of the airway.

Why we don't recommend chin implants or fillers

A chin implant is a piece of external material placed over the bone to add volume. That's why we don't recommend it:

• it can damage the bone beneath it, which wears away under the piece over the years, and also the roots of the lower teeth;
• it can shift or become infected, and then it has to be removed;
• results often look unnatural: it only adds volume forward and doesn't correct height or an off-center chin;
• it doesn't tell apart whether what's missing is the whole lower jaw or just the chin;
• it's generally not made to measure: implants are standard pieces.

Hyaluronic acid and other fillers aren't the right choice for the chin either. They're partly reabsorbed, depending on their density, and over time they migrate: they tend to drop and shift, which causes other problems. And before any definitive treatment, they usually have to be dissolved with hyaluronidase.

In short, a genioplasty is a very effective procedure with great results, compared with adding an external material that can cause damage over time.

How it's decided

There's no single formula. The diagnosis looks at the whole face: how the upper jaw, lower jaw and chin relate to each other, how your teeth fit, how you breathe and what you're looking for. With that, we see whether working on the chin is enough or whether it's worth looking at the base that supports it, and we go over each option with you, with its advantages and limits. Everything is planned beforehand on the digital clone of your face, thinking about harmony and function at the same time.