Chin Reduction

Q: Dr. Eppley, I have a chin reduction question. You stated that how the soft tissues behave after the surgery in the healing process is not under surgical control which is understandable. I’ve read that sometimes the muscle and tissues once they’re stripped from the bone and put back might not adhere as firmly as before and result in poor facial and chin aesthetics. Is that more the case than not in your experience? Also, is there anything that I can do or avoid doing post-op specific to this surgery to foster better outcomes? Thanks!

A: To clarify your concerns, the reason you have a redundant soft tissue pad of the chin is because you had a bony chin reduction only. You were counting on the soft tissues of the chin shrinking down and sticking back to the bone in a tight manner…which obviously did not happen. This was completely predictable and is common after an intraoral bony chin reduction. That was a flawed surgical plan for your chin and is not a reflection of anything you could have done after surgery to prevent it.

A submental soft tissue chin reduction avoids this problem because it removes the excess soft tissue and reattaches it back to the bone. Thus it it a soft tissue tightening procedure.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana