Chin Surgery (Mentoplasty) Cosmetic Surgery

Chin Surgery: Reduction (Mentoplasty)

Chin Reduction can reduce the appearance of an overly prominent chin by decreasing its projection. Simultaneously, it can create better harmony between the nose and other facial features for a more balanced and attractive profile.

A chin that is defined helps give balance to the face and influences how a person's profile looks. Usually, people when they look in the mirror, focus on the size and shape of their noses, their fine wrinkling of the skin. Not a lot of them pay attention to their chins with the same sort of focus. But having a weak chin or a double chin is not an asset.

Mentoplasty is the technical name for surgery that changes the shape of the chin by either moving part of the bone forward or adding an implant (to build up a “weak jaw, called “chin augmentation”) or by removing part of the bone (to reduce a “jutting jaw,” called “Chin Reduction”). The procedure results in a more pleasing profile, and often accompanies nose surgery, so that both features are in correct proportion to each other.

Chin plastic surgery is a procedure that aims at either reshaping the chin either by enhancement with an implant or it's a reduction surgery on the bone. It is not uncommon for a plastic surgeon to recommend Chin Surgery to a patient having nose surgery in order to achieve facial proportion since the size of the chin may make the perceived size of the nose bigger or smaller. In most cases Chin Surgery gives the face more balance.

How the Procedure is performed

Chin Reduction surgery begins with incisions in one of two possible locations, under the lower lip inside the mouth or under the chin in an inconspicuous location. The incisions give the surgeon access to the bone and surrounding tissue. The surgeon uses specialized electrical instruments (a bone burr or a drill) to reduce and reshape the bone to create a more natural appearance.

When the procedure is complete, your surgeon closes the incisions with small stitches and covers the chin area with bandages Chin Surgery normally lasts from one to several hours depending in its complexity and is often an outpatient procedure. More complicated cases can take longer and/or require a short hospital stay. Depending on the surgical plan, you’ll be given local or general anesthesia. A patient can return home the day following the surgery.

After Chin Surgery

You may also experience significant swelling or discoloration in the treated area, which will subside over the course of several weeks. The stitches are typically removed within seven days of the procedure.

Follow your doctor's post-operative instruction list to help reduce the risk of complications. There may be some pain, which can be managed with oral medications. The surgeon may have recommendations to reduce swelling, such as elevating your head. Normal activities can be resumed typically within seven days.