How Soon Should I Revise My Facial Implants Again?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I had custom chin and jaw angle implants placed four months ago and then I had them revised with new implants two months ago. While it is much improved and is almost what I want, I think I need another surgery. How soon should I have another jawline implant surgery again, I am ready right now?

A: While I am not your plastic surgeon, I do not agree with any patient changing their facial implants repeatedly over very short times. Making facial structural changes before 9 to 12 months short of some major aesthetic problem is often premature. You have been through two surgeries over a short postoperative period of time and now you want to change the look again…before you have ever truly seen the final result and before you have had time to psychologically adjust to your new look. Perhaps you have learned that, despite all the preoperative predictions and planning, that it really isn’t the look you want or maybe achieving that look isn’t even possible. I am not looking for an explanation nor do I want one from you as to the logic of the desire for another surgery, it is just this decision just seems very hasty sitting from my perspective.

The other equally important reason that I advise against prematurely jumping in and changing facial implants is that each surgery carries risk and the more surgery you have the greater likelihood that one of those risks will occur.  Every surgery always involves some form of a trade-off and each new surgery creates the opportunity for a new problem to appear. The dreaded one, of course, is infection. Just because it has not occurred before, each new surgery involves a new spin of the wheel so to speak, and repeated surgeries increases that risk.

I say all of this because a patient’s decision to undergo any revision should be based on the severity of the problem versus the degree of risk involved. There does come a time when the balance between those two should give one pause for reflection.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana