Chin surgery changes the projection and the shape of the chin, either by placing an implant or by moving the bone itself. It is one of the operations that changes a profile most with the least amount of surgery.
The chin is the counterweight to the nose. A short chin makes the nose look bigger than it is, leaves the neck without definition and makes the whole profile read as set back. It is common for someone to come in about their nose when the imbalance is, at least in part, at the other end of the profile.
That is why many chin operations are done together with a rhinoplasty: the profile is worked on as a whole and not as two separate pieces. And it is also why it is worth measuring before deciding, because sometimes bringing the chin forward by a few millimetres makes it unnecessary to touch the nose at all.
It usually helps when there is
- A chin with little projection, sitting behind the line of the lip in profile.
- A sense that the nose "looks big" without the nose actually being big.
- A poorly defined neck-chin angle, with an apparent double chin despite being slim.
- A chin that is deviated or asymmetrical.
- A chin that is excessively long or projected, which is also corrected.
Worth discussing first if
- A clearly misaligned bite: this may be a problem with the position of the jaws and not with the chin.
- Active gum disease or poor dental health, because of the intraoral approach.
- Expecting the whole jaw to change: the chin is only its front part.
- Current smoking, which increases the risk of an implant becoming infected.
- Severe untreated bruxism.
None of these rules the procedure out on its own; all of them change the conversation.
Implant, bone or filler
The choice depends on how many millimetres have to be gained, on whether height or deviation need correcting, and on your own preference about carrying a material or not.
Chin implant
A piece of silicone or porous polyethylene shaped to your bone, placed from inside the mouth or through a cut under the chin. It is the quickest option and it is reversible; the implant can be removed.
Bony genioplasty
The chin bone itself is cut and moved, fixed with plates. It allows the chin to be advanced, shortened, lengthened or centred, and leaves no foreign material. It is the option for large or asymmetrical corrections.
Hyaluronic acid
Without surgery, for small projections or to try the effect before deciding. It is temporary and has a clear ceiling: it does not replace surgery when structure is missing.
Measure the profile before touching it
Planning is done on profile photographs and, where appropriate, on a radiological study. Where the chin sits in relation to the lower lip and to the vertical line of the face is measured, and from there the millimetres are worked out. This is literally millimetre surgery: the difference between a balanced profile and one with an excessive chin is three or four of them.
The most important rule of indication is a negative one. If the bite is misaligned — the upper and lower jaws do not meet properly — a short chin is usually the visible consequence of a larger skeletal problem. Putting an implant there disguises the profile but leaves the origin untouched, and what is called for is a joint assessment with maxillofacial surgery or orthodontics. Saying so costs one operation less; keeping quiet costs a half-finished result.
What the process is like
From the first consultation to discharge, with the usual timings for this procedure.
Consultation and planning
Profile photographs, measurement of the set-back and assessment of the bite and the nose. Technique and size are decided, and what change can be expected is explained.
Before surgery
Laboratory tests, anaesthetic assessment and, with an intraoral approach, a dental check-up. The informed consent is signed.
Surgery
As a day case. The implant is placed or the osteotomy performed, symmetry is checked with the patient positioned, and the wound is closed.
Follow-up
Reviews at one week, one month and three months. If the approach was through the mouth, specific hygiene instructions are given for the first weeks.
Week by week
Swelling in this area goes down quickly, but sensation in the lip and chin can take considerably longer.
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Days 1 to 3
Swelling of the chin and lower lip, discomfort when speaking and a soft diet. Sleeping with the head raised.
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Days 4 to 10
The swelling clearly subsides. Any external stitches are removed; intraoral ones are usually dissolvable.
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Weeks 2 to 6
Normal life and exercise built back up. Numbness of the lower lip or the gum may persist: that is expected, and it recovers over weeks or months.
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Months 3 to 6
Final profile. With a bony genioplasty, consolidation of the bone is checked at the three-month review.
Risks, and what is not promised
The general risks of any surgery, and those specific to this area: altered sensation of the lower lip and chin from involvement of the mental nerve, usually temporary and in isolated cases permanent; asymmetry; and, in the case of an implant, displacement, infection or extrusion, which may make it necessary to remove it.
A specific and little-publicised risk of a chin implant is resorption of the bone underneath over the years: the pressure of the implant can erode the bony surface. It does not always have consequences, but it is one of the reasons why a bony genioplasty is preferred for large corrections.
No particular profile is promised. These risks are reduced by a sound indication and a correct technique. They are not eliminated. The ones that apply to your case are explained to you in the consultation and are set down in writing in the informed consent you sign before surgery.
The information on this page is for guidance and does not replace an in-person medical consultation. Medical practice is an obligation of means, not of result.
The questions we are asked most about chin surgery
An implant of the right size, well placed, is neither seen nor felt as a foreign body: it reads as a chin. What does show is an implant that is too big, which produces a chin that does not "belong" to the rest of the face.
That is why the size is decided by measuring the profile and not by choosing from a catalogue.
For moderate, symmetrical advancement, an implant works well, with less time in theatre and the advantage of being reversible. For large corrections, asymmetries or when the height of the chin also has to change, a bony genioplasty gives a better result and leaves no material behind.
There is no general answer: it depends on your millimetres and your anatomy.
It depends on the route. From inside the mouth there is no visible scar, but it demands strict hygiene for the first weeks. From under the chin there is a scar of two to three centimetres in a natural crease, which usually disguises well.
The choice is made according to the technique and to your dental health.
Up to a point, yes. A hyaluronic acid filler in the chin lets you see the effect of a moderate projection for a few months, and it helps many people make up their minds.
It has a limit: filler does not reproduce the effect of a large correction or of a change in height, and it should not be read as an exact simulation of the surgical result.
Question not answered here? There are more answers in the frequently asked questions.
