Chin Implant (Mentoplasty)
Prof. Dr. Orhan Görgülü2 minute read
Mentoplasty is aesthetic surgery of the chin. It corrects a weak chin and enlarges a small or receding one, so that the chin comes into proportion with the face.
The surgeon does this by placing an implant, or by moving a piece of the patient’s own chin bone forward.
The decision
The procedure is decided by the patient and the specialist together, after examining the structure of the chin and hearing what the patient wants. The extent of the operation is set, along with any other procedures needed alongside it. There are also chin tip treatments that need no operation at all.
The operation
A chin implant is placed under local anaesthesia, with or without sedation, or under general anaesthesia. It can be done on the day, with no hospital stay. Depending on what is done, it takes between 30 minutes and 3 hours.
Patients must be over the age of 17 to 18, with bone growth complete and no problem with the teeth.
After the anaesthetic is given, the surgeon makes a cut inside the lip or under the chin, so that the bone supporting the chin can be repositioned. To bring the chin forward, the tip of the chin is cut from the jaw and moved.
Chin surgery differs from patient to patient and is considered a versatile procedure.
Combined operations
The size of the chin changes how large the nose looks, so a rhinoplasty done at the same time completes the chin operation aesthetically and gives better facial balance. A neck lift, which tightens and shapes the jawline, improves the overall effect.
Chin reduction
In patients whose chin tip sits in front of the line of the nose on the side profile, the chin can be reduced. The tip of the chin is filed down, by the amount the patient wants and the surgeon judges suitable. It is done under general anaesthesia and it preserves the real shape of the face.
After the operation
The stitches fall out by themselves within 1 to 2 weeks and leave no scar. The tissue that is cut is mucosa, so it heals faster than ordinary skin.
Swelling can last about 4 weeks. The intended result starts to show within a month and settles permanently within 3 to 4 months.