Chin Augmentation
Strike a pose with confidence
Define Your Jawline with a Chin Implant
The size and shape of your chin has a huge effect on the overall balance and proportion of your face. A weak chin can make your nose look bigger and give you a poorly-defined jawline. Chin augmentation can give you an attractive jawline and dramatically improve the balance of your face.
What is Chin Augmentation?
A chin augmentation is a surgery that adds more projection to the chin by inserting a chin implant. This implant is inserted through a small incision made underneath the chin or inside the mouth. Dr. Zukowski uses a one-piece Medpor “button” chin implant fixed with two 2mm titanium surgical screws.
Chin augmentation can be done for two opposing reasons:
1) To make a feminine face more masculine, or improve the look of a male with a “weak chin.”
2) It can be a component of facial feminization surgery to improve the jawline by moving the chin forward, which helps the neck look more concave and youthful. The need for chin implants in FFS is infrequent, as Dr. Zukowski is typically able to add a significant feminine and youthful curve to the neck without them. He will evaluate you and decide if chin augmentation is necessary to achieve your goals.
How Does a Chin Implant Improve the Jawline?
For patients desiring a more masculine face, a more prominent chin helps to create a strong, masculine jawline. For those seeking a more feminine appearance, a stronger chin can define the jawline, creating a visual distinction between the neck and cheeks and helping achieve a beautiful feminine curve to the neck. In this case, a masseter muscle reduction surgery is performed, also known as jaw reduction surgery or jaw shaving. This procedure reduces the size of the masseter muscle.
What is a Chin Implant?
A chin implant is a device that can be inserted under the skin and soft tissue to enhance the chin and give more definition to the jaw and neckline.
Types of Chin Implants
For chin augmentation, the type of chin implants commonly used are either silicone or a porous plastic material called Medpor. Dr. Zukowski has been working with Medpor for over 25 years and vastly prefers it to silicone implants. Silicone implants can shift after surgery, but Medpor chin implants are fixed to the bone with a medical grade titanium screw and will not move. The Medpor implants incorporate nicely into the soft tissue and bone, and they can be contoured during surgery and sculpted to match your face. After the surgery, they feel just like your real facial bones.
How Long Does Chin Augmentation Last?
Medpor chin implants are the most permanent type of chin implant. Medpor is a stable material that does not degrade. It fuses to the bone to the point where it becomes almost like a part of your skeleton.
Scarring
If the incision is made in the mouth, you will see no scarring on your face at all. If it is made under the chin, you will have a small scar that is about an inch long and cannot be seen from a frontal view. This scar typically fades to a fine line, and sometimes disappears entirely.
Risks
When performed by a qualified, experienced plastic surgeon such as Dr. Zukowski, Chin Implant Surgery has very few complications. It carries the risk associated with all surgeries such as a reaction to anesthesia and infection.
Recovery
Immediately after the surgery, you will wear a compressive dressing on your face. You will be instructed to apply cold compresses to the surgical area to reduce swelling. You can expect to experience some tightness, soreness, and swelling. You will not be able to eat solid food for the first couple of days after the procedure.
If you follow your post-op instructions and your recovery progresses well, you can expect to feel comfortable going out in public in less than 1 week, though this can vary by patient.
Dr. Zukowski can expertly reshape your chin to improve your jawline, give balance to your features, and transform your face.
If you have any concerns or questions about chin augmentation please don’t hesitate to contact our office in Chicago to learn more.
Visit the patient gallery to see before and after transformations.