Facial Asymmetry

Dr. Eppley, I am interested in facial asymmetry surgery. I have an an asymmetrical face due to irregular growth of the jaw bone. Will the chin reduction on the right side correct it? I also notice that the right side of my face has less soft tissue so will the jaw angle implant balance out my face? Thank you.

A: Your facial asymmetry correction surgery approach certainly appears to be the correct one. Based on your pictures, the right side of the chin is longer and the width of the right jaw angle is more narrow than those two jawline areas on the left side of your face. So a right vertical chin reduction and right lateral width jaw angle implant should create improved facial symmetry. The only question is whether one wants to make the judgments for the amount of vertical chin reduction an the amount of width needed in the jaw angle up to the surgeon’s aesthetic sense or whether to make a more scientific quantitative assessment of them. That may be best done using a 3D CT scan or, at the least, get a panorex and lateral cephalometric x-rays to make some preoperative measurements.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana