Weak Chin No More
Beauty is a very difficult thing to define. There are certain faces that are very asymmetric and whose parts are individually not attractive, yet somehow it “works”. In general though, faces that are more symmetric, covered by smooth, even skin and following certain “norms” are considered more attractive. Especially on the side view, the chin forms a major aesthetic highlight of the face.
If you look from the side and drop a vertical line from the vermilion (where the red of the lip meets the white of the lip), it should approximate ideal chin position in a man. Ideal chin projection would be a few millimeters behind this line in a woman. Obviously, these are rough guides that need to be adjusted based on the rest of the person’s facial features.
There are several options for the weak chin. If there is a significant bite problem (overbite, under bite) and the patient is willing to undergo up to a year of orthodontic treatment and traditional jaw surgery, then this is an excellent option. If the patient does not want or need traditional jaw surgery but does not want an implant, then a genioplasty is an excellent choice. Here, a small incision is made in the mouth and a small cut made in the chin itself moving it forward. It is held in place with small plates and screws. The best option for an implant (again usually placed through the mouth) is silastic. It is well tolerated and very few patients develop any issues with it. The good thing about it is that if there is an infection, or if the patient doesn’t like it for any reason, it is fairly easy to remove. This is rarely needed.
The weak chin can accentuate upper neck fullness making a double chin more prominent. They should be thought of as a unit. If someone has too much fatty tissue below a weak chin, then doing a small amount of liposuction at the time of chin augmentation is very beneficial. If there is a lot of lax tissue below the chin, this won’t really improve unless it is suspended with a neck lift type procedure.
Dr. Ducic has written several peer reviewed publications in medical journals on both genioplasty and chin augmentation. You may view these at dfwplasticsurgery.com.
We look forward to meeting with you to determine what the best option is for making your weak chin no more. Call our Colleyville office at 817-503-2442 or our Fort Worth office at 817-920-0484 to schedule a complementary consultation.
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