Lifestyle Choices

A jutting or receding chin often causes grief to its owner but, whereas a great many people seek cosmetic surgery for noses, far fewer even know that anything can be done to the chin. Sometimes, in fact, it is the shape of the chin that throws an otherwise innocuous nose into undue prominence and a surgeon may suggest correction of the former rather than the latter. In a few cases, however, surgery for both the chin and the nose may be aesthetically beneficial.

The chin is, of course, part of the jaw but surgery for the chin is a different matter entirely from surgery for the entire jaw. The latter is a major procedure in which usually the teeth need realignment too because deformities of the jaw affect bite. Such surgery is not carried out by cosmetic surgeons but by oral and maxillofacial surgeons, working together with orthodontists. Chin surgery is concerned only with the small part of the jaw that sticks out under your mouth but it is not undertaken by all cosmetic surgeons. Ask for guidance from your general practitioner.

Chin surgery aims to give a more balanced look to your face. Enlargement firms your chin and reduction softens it. The alignment of your teeth will not be affected.

Cosmetic Surgery for the Chin, for whom is it appropriate?

The chin does not stop growing fully until your 20s, although most growth is finished in girls by the age of 16 and in boys by the age of 18. It is best to wait until all growth is finished but if the appearance of the chin is causing great distress, it is possible to have surgery in the late teens as long as you are prepared for the eventuality that you might need additional surgery later.

Cosmetic Surgery for the Chin, what needs to be done?

The site of the incision is the same, whether a chin is to be enlarged or reduced. The cut is usually made on the inside of your mouth, between your lower lip and lower front teeth but sometimes it has to be made on the outside, underneath your chin.

Sometimes the chin can be made sufficiently more pronounced if the surgeon lifts back the tissues that cover the bone, moves some of the bone forward and wires it firmly into its new more prominent position. If this is not possible, a silicone implant will be used. The surgeon will lift tissue from the bone to create a space and then sew the implant, of suitable size, into position, along with the muscle and skin that have been lifted.

The procedure takes about an hour and can be done under local anaesthetic or general anaesthetic.

Chin reduction can be done under local anaesthetic too but as it entails some considerable drilling or chiselling, the noise of which may be somewhat offputting for a patient to listen to, general anaesthetic is usually preferred.

After the incision has been made, the covering tissues are pulled back to reveal the underlying bone and the excess is removed by the noisy methods described above. If the chin is extremely large, however, the bone will have to be removed for resculpting and then be wired back into the correct position. Then everything else is stitched back into place.

Cosmetic Surgery for the Chin, Pain and recovery

Your chin will ache but there will be little pain unless you move it too much. To avoid this, a liquid or soft diet is advised for about a week and a piece of bandage may initially be taped across your chin to reduce movement when you talk and eat. To reduce risk of infection setting in, a week’s course of antibiotics may be prescribed for you.

You will have swelling and bruising but you will be able to leave hospital the day after the operation and after about a week most visible swelling will have gone. At this time stitches will be taken out and, unless you have had bone remodelled, for which full recovery may take a fortnight, you can go back to work or resume all normal activities, including sex and forms of exercise that you can do alone (such as swimming or jogging). Avoid for about a month sports that involve other participants who may unintentionally give you a bang on the chin.

Women can wear make-up and men can shave within four or five days of the operation.

Chin Cosmetic Surgery and Scars

If the incision for your surgery is made through the inside of the mouth, you will have no visible scar. If the incision is made under the chin your scar will be about one or two inches long. As always, the final appearance of a scar cannot be guaranteed because of variations in how individuals heal, but, unless you are unlucky, it should be flat and pale.

Chin Cosmetic Surgery and Problems

If bone has been moved or excised, there is a risk of temporary damage to the nerves which may leave your chin, and sometimes your teeth, somewhat numb for up to a year.

Swelling, although not obvious to other people, will not subside entirely for six months to a year.

Infection after surgery that has been carried out through an incision in your mouth is much more likely if you are a smoker and continue to smoke after surgery. If you have had a chin enlargement and infection sets in, the implant will have to be removed and the whole process done again once the infection has cleared. If your chin bone has been altered, infection can make it shrink.

There is always added risk of infection when an implant is used, as it is a foreign body, and there is a chance it may be rejected for that reason too. More commonly, it may slip, requiring adjustments, or, if you are hit hard on the chin, it may leak, meaning that your new strong chin may gradually disappear unless you return to your surgeon quickly for attention.

Advantages of Chin Cosmetic Surgery

The procedure has permanent effects, bar mishap. Severe complications are few and uncommon and usually people are very happy with the cosmetic results.

Cost of private Chin Cosmetic Surgery Treatment

Around £450 if the operation is carried out under local anaesthetic and around £850 for general anaesthetic.

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