Enhancing Your Profile

May different factors affect the facial profile? The position of the chin is one of the most important factors determining the appearance of the face and neck profile.

Generally speaking, if one examines his profile (side view) in a mirror, the chin projection should approach a vertical line dropped from the lower lip( slightly more prominent in men as compared to women). During your consultation your chin will be analyzed to determine if augmentation should be considered.

When the chin is too small for the face, augmentation can often produce dramatic improvement in facial features. Very often it is necessary to recommend surgery for a receding chin either in connection with a nasal plastic operation, a Rhinoplasty Sacramento, liposuction, or as an isolated procedure. This occurs because the facial plastic surgeon does not consider the chin as an isolated structure but, rather, as an important feature of the face. More specifically, he thinks in terms of the best profile obtainable for the patient. This procedure carries a high success rate and, in most cases, adds the “finishing touch” when restructuring facial harmony.

A small chin can make a person’s nose appear more prominent than it really is, whereas a chin that is more in harmony with other facial features can draw attention away from the nose and give the entire profile a more pleasing balance. Too much recession of the chin, particularly when accompanied by a slanting forehead, will cause the features to taper to a point in the mid-face if only Rhinoplasty (nasal plastic surgery) is done.

With aging there is a resorption of bone including the jaw bone, as well as, the development of jowling due to shifting fat and loss of skin elasticity. The combination of these factors results in a loss of lower facial features definition. Often there is a depression between the enlarging jowls and the receding chin. Augmentation of the chin and/or depression in front of the jowls in conjunction with a cheek-neck lift dramatically restores a well-defined chin, neck, and jaw line.

Many people with a receding chin also have excess fat accumulations under the chin, which resulted from long-term nasal blockage, enlarged adenoids, dental problems, or an family trait.

In most circumstances, this procedure is performed on an outpatient basis using “twilight” anesthesia. The operation is performed either through a small incision inside the mouth, just above the crease between the lower lip and gum, or in a small crease under the chin. Absorbable sutures are used and when the scar “matures” generally, it is well-camouflaged.

The implant increases the chin projection by supporting the soft tissue overlying the mandible or jaw bone. The implant is placed on the jaw bone so that the soft tissues (skin, fat, and muscles) rest upon the implant, not the bone.

Medical grad implants come in several shapes and sizes, enabling the surgeon to select one that will give a natural appearance. They are made from semisolid, sponge like, or mesh synthetic materials that closely mimic the feel of natural body tissues.

Although the chin area will be sensitive for a few days, post-operative discomfort is usually negligible. Most patients may resume their preoperative activities within about seven to ten days.