Mentoplasty (Chin extension surgery)
What is chin augmentation?
Dr. Antolin explains the procedure followed for mentoplasty or chin surgery in his clinics in Valencia and Alcoy.
Genioplasty, mentoplasty or chin surgery, is the surgery that changes the shape and projection of the chin, thus achieving greater harmony in the face and improving the contour of the neck.
There are different techniques:
- Placing an implant.
- Mobilizing the bone.
The duration of surgery, type of anesthesia and hospitalization will depend on the technique chosen.
If we ask an anatomist what the chin is, he will tell you that the chin region corresponds to the lower and middle region of the face and includes the lower and middle part of the jaws.
The chin region is delimited on both sides by a virtual line passing through the labial corners, is bounded on the upper side by the mento-labial fold and on the lower side by the lower edge of the mandible or jaw.
Therefore, mentoplasty will affect all the regions mentioned above.
Mentoplasty can be used to refine your chin and thus harmonize your overall face, although it can also have a purely medical or functional purpose.
- Mentoplasty for cosmetic purposes: this type of genioplasty has no functional or physiological cause .
The patient is healthy and has no health problems. He simply wants to reshape the lower part of his face, to give it a better appearance and thus obtain a more beautiful face.
- Functional Mentoplasty: People with what is called a receding chin often suffer from painful and embarrassing chin strains.
In these situations, the surgeon will perform a genioplasty to rebalance the muscles and skin of the chin.
The best ultrasonic rhinoplasty surgeonsIn the same operation, mentoplasty and rhinoplasty can be combined in a procedure called perfiloplasty, which substantially improves the patient’s face.
There is a lot of information that the patient must transmit to the surgeon about the objectives to be achieved with the mentoplasty operation, and that the surgeon must know how to interpret, in order to establish the most optimal surgical plan and make the most appropriate decisions. The patient must be rigorously evaluated by the surgeon and listened to with interest and attention. It is essential that the patient is well cared for, well informed, well operated, and of course, and not least, that he/she is very, very excited.
Candidates for chin augmentation
The ideal candidate for mentoplasty, genioplasty or facial chin reshaping surgery should meet the following requirements:
- Patients with facial beauty complexes in which the chin or chin shape is the cause of the complex are good candidates for genioplasty, without distinction.
- They have a receding chin.
- The patient is in good health and should wish to correct the shape and/or position of his chin.
- You have realistic expectations about what chin surgery can do for you.
The 1st consultation
To prepare for the operation, several preoperative consultations are essential.
Prior to chin surgery, all of our patients will have several scheduled consultations with Dr. Antolin.
At this 1st FREE visit, candidates should get all their questions answered, have the doctor review the goals they wish to achieve with surgery and make sure they are both on the same page as to what the desired results are.
At subsequent preoperative visits, radiographs and photographs are taken of the patient’s face from both sides.
This will allow the surgeon to analyze the position of the chin in relation to the rest of the face.
Contact us nowChin augmentation and chin extension: chin implant, osteotomy and bone grafting
Let’s start with the procedure that allows you to move your chin backwards.
The surgeon has two options.
You may decide to work on the mandibular bone to reduce it or you may choose a retrograde osteotomy or genioplasty.
The latter consists of cutting the excess bone and then reattaching it with metal plates and screws.
There are three ways to advance a chin.
- The first of these is the placement of implants.
The prosthesis can be made of Medpor (porous polyethylene) or silicone. Dr. Antolin chooses with the patient the most appropriate material and shape depending on the correction to be made.
Dr. Antolin places the implant in front of the chin through a 2cm incision under the center of the jaw or inside the mouth.
Fat and muscle help hide the prosthesis and give it a more natural appearance.
- The second option is the advancement osteotomy.
The principle is to cut the chin bone horizontally to advance it and fix it using screws and metal plates.
- Bone grafting is the third method used.
If rhinoplasty is performed at the same time, the graft is taken from the nasal hump. Otherwise, the other options may be the pelvis or the skull, for example.
Characteristics of chin extension surgery
- Before an operation, you muststop smoking at least 1 month before.
- Stop taking any aspirin-based medications 2 weeks before. This will reduce the risks associated with anesthesia and surgery.
- Most often, mentoplasty is performed under local anesthesia, less frequently in combination with intravenous sedation.
- On average, the duration of the chin implant procedure is approximately 1.5 hours.
- The incision for the operation can be performed as an internal incision – along the mucosa of the oral cavity at the level of the lower front teeth, and external incision – in the area of the skin fold of the sub-chin.
- Chin plastic surgery is one of the most painless plastic surgeries with minimal rehabilitation period.
- The surgery procedure depends entirely on the initial situation, which must be corrected – increasing or decreasing the chin protrusion.
- It is an outpatient surgery, since after several hours of observation in the hospital, you can go home.
Recovery after chin augmentation
Surprising as it may seem, the patient has the opportunity to move his jaw after the operation.
- Bruising and swelling of the lower face are part of the postoperative consequences.
- A compressive bandage should be used to reshape the chin for one week.
- It is recommended to eat soft and cold food during the first days.
- As for the resumption of activity, 8 daysin a quiet environment are needed before returning to work.
- In addition, postoperative oral hygiene must be impeccable if the scars are placed inside the mouth.
- The duration of the recovery period before the final result is 2 to 4 weeks.
Scars
The incisions made by the surgeon are hidden inside the mouth, in the gum, or placed discreetly. under the chin.
To hide the scar under the chin during the first weeks, a small round dressing, which can be used to hide a pimple on the face, is sufficient.
Chin augmentation results
The results of mentoplasty / chin augmentation surgery can be seen immediately and are lifelong, as it is a permanent way to achieve a strong and attractive chin.
Final results can be seen after approximately six weeks to six months.
Schedule an initial consultation to meet with Dr. Antolin and learn more about chin surgery in Valencia and Alcoy.
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Patient feedback
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it obvious when someone has a chin augmentation?
Chin augmentation is a very common procedure.
When was the last time you saw someone and thought they had a chin implant? Those of us with “Jay Leno chins” were born that way.
While plastic surgeons may go overboard with breast implants, the same probably cannot be said for chin implants.
The results of a chin implant are subtle but profound.
What procedures are commonly performed in conjunction with chin augmentation?
A chin implant is commonly done on its own, however it is also quite often performed with other procedures.
Many patients who end up receiving a chin implant do not come to Dr. Antolin specifically requesting mentoplasty.
Many of these patients may want to have a facelift or neck lift.
Some people with double chins will also undergo neck liposuction.
And some who initially saw Dr. Antolin for the treatment of a bump on the nose, may still end up having the nose done together with the chin, in an operation called a perfiloplasty, which is the sum of a rhinoplasty plus a mentoplasty.
Will a chin augmentation change the appearance of my neck?
By increasing chin projection, the neck looks more angular, slender and youthful.
Some patients who think they need some type of cervical (neck) lift are better served with a chin implant, either alone or with some type of neck lift procedure. As the neck skin is distracted a bit forward with a chin implant, there is a greater amount of tension on the skin under the jaw.
Why does a chin implant make such a big difference in appearance?
The The chin plays a fundamental role in establishing the balance of the face and neck.
Its role in balancing the nose and forehead is very important in creating ideal facial proportions.
While men are typically considered more attractive when their chins are stronger and squarer than women’s, an attractive, balanced chin is important for both genders.
People with weak chins simply don’t look as healthy, fit and energetic. A strong chin creates a greater appearance of strength and self-confidence, being the mentoplasty for men an increasingly popular surgery.
What is the effect of a chin implant on the appearance of the nose?
A large nose can make a normal chin look small, and a small chin can make a normal nose look large.
Dr. Antolin does not mention procedures in the consultation that the patient did not ask about.
The one exception is the chin; often patients who come for rhinoplasty also have a problem with their chin, and ignoring the chin means not properly diagnosing problems with the nose.
Is there an alternative to chin implants?
Almost all chin augmentations are performed with a chin implant.
But there are also procedures in which the jaw is cut and moved to create an increase in the vertical height or length of the lower jaw.
In certain cases, fat grafting or hyaluronic acid filler may be a good option.
Can a chin implant move?
Once everything has healed, the chin implant will remain in position.
But sometimes, in the first few weeks after surgery and before everything has completely healed, the chin implant can slip out of position.
This is very uncommon, but to correct it, it is necessary to return to the operating room to put it back in place.
If I don’t like my chin implant, can it be removed?
Most patients feel that their facial beauty has drastically improved after chin implants and never want it removed.
The removal of a chin implant is a relatively simple procedure and usually goes smoothly.
But there are some cases where the implant created a small depression in the bone underneath it, so that after removal of the chin implant, the patient has less overall chin projection than they originally had, so it is reasonable to compensate for this deficit with fat grafting.
How long does a chin implant last?
A chin implant never needs to be replaced.
Unlike a breast implant, a chin implant is solid; there is nothing that will leak out of it. Most people have a chin implant and it will last a lifetime.
Are the results of chin augmentation permanent?
Yes, the chin will be augmented as long as the implant remains in place.
What material is a chin implant made of?
Most chin implants are made of solid silicone.
GoreTex implants have also been made, as well as an artificial bone. But these are rarely used.
Are there different forms of chin implants?
There are many different forms of chin implants.
Some wrap widely around the jaw bone and others are very narrow and only protrude at the front.
Chin implants can be thin, increasing only along a narrow area, or they can be tall .
They can wrap around the jaw to varying degrees.
They can have a more pointed or square shape.