Genioplasty

Genioplasty: Redesigning the appearance of the chin

Genioplasty can improve the shape of an unsightly chin by restoring the balance of the face from the front and from the side.

Indications for chin surgery

The different chin surgery techniques effectively correct aesthetic defects, such as a chin that is too far forward and a receding chin that is too far back.

Aesthetically, there is an ideal vertical line in profile from the forehead through the nose to the horizontal base of the chin. If the chin protrudes from this line, it is protruding. If the chin is behind this line, it is receding.

In case of excess fat, a small liposuction will be performed first before starting the genioplasty procedure.

There is a complementarity between the chin and the nose, which is why a rhinoplasty is often performed at the same time as a chin surgery in order to achieve a matching set. The combined operation is called profiloplasty.

When the chin is slightly receding, injections of hyaluronic acid can be used.

If abnormalities in chin position result in lower gum lesions with teeth that may come loose or problems with the dental joint, such as discomfort in closing the mouth, the patient will be referred to a smile specialist who will treat the entire lower face with maxillofacial surgery techniques.

Genioplasty: process of the intervention

Depending on the surgical technique used, chin surgery is performed under local or general anaesthesia, on an outpatient basis or with an overnight stay in hospital and lasts between half an hour and an hour and a half.

The incision is hidden in the mouth on the lower gum or is made very discreetly under the chin.

Backing up a chin

Two techniques are possible:

Planing of the jaw bone: The surgeon smoothes the lower edge of the mandibular bone to reduce the projection of the chin.
The chin recoil osteotomy: The surgeon cuts the excess bone and then reattaches the front part of the chin using metal screws and plates.

Advancing a receding chin

Three techniques are possible:

The installation of a chin implant

There are prostheses made of either silicone or Medpor (POREX). Both types of implants give good results. The choice depends both on the aesthetic defect to be corrected, the wishes of the patient and the habits of the surgeon. Chin implants also come in a variety of shapes: central prosthesis, prosthesis with small side wings, etc. The surgeon then inserts the chin implant in a custom-made recess in the lower jaw bone. The prosthesis is concealed by the thickness of the fat and muscles of the chin.

The chin advancement osteotomy

The surgeon cuts the chin bone horizontally to create a bone fragment which is then advanced and fixed in the desired position using metal plates and screws.

Bone grafting :

The surgeon takes the graft he needs from the hump of the nose when doing a profile plasty or from the skull, pelvis, etc. to reshape the chin.

What happens after the operation

Genioplasty is a painless procedure. The patient can move the jaw without risk. He wears a shaping bandage under the chin for five to eight days. There is bruising for seven to fifteen days and swelling for ten to twenty days. It is advisable to eat semi-liquid or soft and preferably cold food for the first two days. Activity is resumed after eight days.

Genioplasty: the results

The result is visible immediately and takes its final appearance after three months, the time it takes for the oedema to subside.