Chin Implant

Enhancement with implants

In the case of facial contouring, implants provide localised enhancement of the mandibular bone, the effects of which are conveyed through the soft tissues to the surface of the skin as improved contours.

By providing structural support to the overlying facial soft tissues, implants counter gravitational changes, restore fullness and offer a lift with gentle skin expansion. It also provides a ‘forward push’ to all the soft tissues of the jaw, including the superficial neck muscle, such that neck contours usually become better defined.

Implant shape and size

Implants come in several pre-formed shapes suitable for both males and females, and accommodate a wide range of requirements. Each shape is available in several sizes according to the dimensions of the mandibular bone. Variables include thickness, height and point of maximal projection.

All implants may be further refined during placement (in-place contouring) to accommodate the specific needs of the patient.

Today’s gold standard for chin implants encompasses a number of alloplastic (non-biologic) materials with high bio-compatibility, such as silicone, PEEK (Peek-Optima) or high-density porous polyethylene (Medpor).

Recovery after chin implant surgery

Recovery is usually uneventful and most patients go home the day of surgery. A bandage may be left over the chin to reduce swelling (usually removed the next day). A small dressing may be used to cover the chin for 7-10 days. Recovery is usually quick and is not associated with excessive pain or discomfort. Food should be liquid-to-soft for a week to avoid excessive chewing during the healing process. Transient paraesthesia (numbness) to the chin or lower lip is normal and typically resolves within weeks.

Expected surgical outcome

Implants can provide discrete enhancements or significant improvements alike. The average increase in chin projection is 4-8 mm. If improvement to the jawline is desired, an addition of 3-4 mm is usually sufficient to restore contours and counter jowl formation. Once positioned, chin implants will look and feel like normal bone. The tapered anatomical shape ensures that implants blend into the mandible and deliver smooth transitions. Results of chin augmentation are generally associated with a high degree of patient satisfaction.

Chin clefts come from the soft tissue and are not a function of the bone itself. As such, a cleft may persist even with a chin implant. For cleft removal (for example in female chin rejuvenation), a complementary fat grafting procedure is used to soften chin contours.

Safety and predictability

Chin and mandibular implant surgeries are associated with few complications. Revision surgeries often relate to local infections or aesthetic re-contouring (2-3%). Should this be required, implant removal is generally straightforward.

Alloplastic implants have been used for chin and jawline contouring for more than 50 years and the materials currently used (silicone and polyethylene) are safe, with good tensile strength, non-allergenic, biocompatible and very stable in the long term. More recent developments in implant design have especially focused on implant texture and porosity to enhance implant-tissue integration.

Chin implants combined with other surgical procedures

All tissues of the face (bone, soft tissue and skin) are closely interlinked. Whether the goal is to improve facial feature structure or to rejuvenate, the best results are often achieved when synergistic procedures are combined.

For example, the aesthetic improvement to the facial profile of a nose correction (rhinoplasty) is often vastly enhanced by simultaneous augmentation of the chin. For patients having a face-neck lift procedure, adding a chin implant will often significantly improve the results and help redefine both jawline and neck.

For the purposes of volumising facial contours, fat transfer (fat grafting) and facial implants also work well in tandem; implants enhance the underlying bone structure and fat transfer the overlying soft tissues.

Conclusion

Chin implants provide predictable and permanent results. They maintain their shape, do not suffer from reabsorption and improve on the natural structural appearance, which enhances the overall contours and aesthetic balance of the face.

A wide range of implant types, shapes and sizes offer great flexibility and potential for significant modification. Used either as an isolated procedure or in combination with other facial surgeries, chin augmentation is one of the most effective ways to obtain natural-looking three-dimensional enhancement of the chin and jawline.