Question:
I’m a 20-year-old male with no chin. My nose is a little on the large side, which I wouldn’t mind except that it looks even worse with my tiny chin. I’ve been doing some research and wondering what the differences are between getting chin augmentation or jaw advancement surgery.
Answer:
There is a considerable difference between getting chin augmentation and jaw advancement surgery. Jaw advancement surgery is usually reserved for those individuals with a significant bite deformity. For jaw advancement surgery the jaw is usually advanced for an under bite. Jaw advancement surgery is very involved and will change not only the shape of your jaw, but the position of your lower teeth to your upper teeth. Chin advancement surgery is more similar to chin augmentation surgery. Chin advancement surgery is performed in order to move the chin to a more favorable esthetic position. Chin advancement is performed by cutting the bone of the chin and moving the most prominent portion of the chin in a forward direction and fixing the newly positioned bone to the remainder of the mandible with a plate and screw system. The procedure is relatively safe but, more involved than chin augmentation surgery with the use of a chin implant. Chin implant surgery can be performed under mild IV sedation and local anesthesia. A chin implant, I prefer silicone, is placed through a small incision made below the chin into a carefully created pocket along the front of the mandible in order to improve the appearance of the chin and facial profile.
Posted by Dr. Philip Schoenfeld