Genioplasty and Mentoplasty for the Chin

Working on a person’s chin either requires Genioplasty or Mentoplasty. A person’s facial features needs to be balanced based on the chin compared with the nose. If the chin needs to be reduced, it is called Mentoplasty. Augment for a balanced appearance as the chin is receding is Genioplasty. This type of chin surgery is only done on adults and not children. Facial bones do shift, enlarge, and reduce with age.

Preparing For Surgery

When deciding what surgery to perform, the surgeon will use factors like the patient’s skin type, age, whether the patient is mentally prepared for the treatment, and put it into relation with the chin and jaw. The doctor will take the patient off of medications they are taking if necessary. The patient might also be prescribed an antibiotic before the procedure.

Chin procedures are usually performed at an outpatient clinic or hospital. Also, local anesthesia at the operation location is normally used. If local is used, it means a patient is awake and the chin is numbed to be operated on. If the procedure is complicated, a patient may be put to sleep. The duration of this procedure is generally around an hour, though it may be longer or shorter based upon specifics. This is almost always an outpatient procedure, meaning if there are no complications the patient will be sent home the same day.

The patient will not be able to drive home, so a ride will be needed. The patient should have someone look after them for about 24 hours after the procedure. The patient will also have to eat soft foods or a liquid diet for about a week after the surgery.

Procedure

There are two places a surgeon will make an incision for Mentoplasty Chin Reduction. One is located in an inconspicuous location under the chin, while the other would be made under the lower lip inside the mouth. An electrical instrument like a bone burr or drill may be used to reduce and reshape the bone to make a natural appearance. Afterwards stitches are used to close the incision site and tape will be placed over it.

For genioplasty chin augmentation procedures, the operation will either use the patient’s bone, a chin implant, or a Silastic chin. When performing a chin implant, the incision will be made under the lower lip or underneath the chin. To get the shape and appearance right, sizers will be used to make the correct size pocket.

If the patient chooses to use advance bone, then a power saw is used with an incision under the lower lip inside the mouth. There is a special blade to separate the edge. The surgeon moves forward the separated chin bone and uses wires to position it or bone plates made just for this and screws. Stitches are used and tape is applied to the chin.

Alternatives

As with most procedures, there are options for chin surgery. If there is a double chin, liposuction may be used to reduce fat from the chin and neckline. Chin surgery maybe suggested as an alternative to nose surgery as the chin makes the nose look larger. Chin surgery may be combined with other cosmetic procedures as well.

Corrective elevation can be used if a patient has a saggy chin or witches chin. Orthognathic chin surgery may be utilized if a birth defect prevents a person from easily eating.

Recovery, Side Effects, and Complications

Post surgery there may be bruising or swelling of the area operated on. The swelling may take a few weeks to go down. After around a week, any stitches may be taken out. To minimize complications, the patient needs to carefully follow the instructions given by the doctor. Oral medications can be prescribed to help deal with any pain the patient may have. Elevating the head is another good choice for reducing pain.

As stated before, a patient may have significant swelling or discoloration, which will reduce over the course of a few weeks. Any stitches are usually taken out within a week of the procedure.

Complications from this procedure are very rare. If an infection occurs, an antibiotic will be given to treat it. Scar tissue is another possibility with this procedure. Bone erosion can also occur, which means the bone will become less dense.

With Genioplasty, if the plates or wires cause discomfort, they will be removed. The patient may have temporary loss of feeling or sensitivity in the chin or lip and in extreme rare cases total permanent loss.

The Cost of Chin Surgery

There are three costs for chin surgery. One is the facility or hospital fee, the anesthesia fee, and the surgeon’s fee. The more complicated the surgery, the more it will cost. For example, if an overnight stay occurred then there would be more costs involved. If a general anesthesia was used and not a local, the cost also would go up.

If more than one procedure was performed, then fees could possibly be combined. Insurance will pay for chin surgery if deemed a medically necessary. The average cost for chin surgery is between $3,000 and $10,000.

Dr. Steven Ross seeks to help everyone navigate all of the confusing options surrounding plastic surgery. Being based in Houston, he also has a business doing Houston SEO. In the past he has performed lap band Dallas surgeries.