Custom Jawline Implant and Beard Hair

Q: Dr. Eppley, Can I have a custom jawline implant put while having a very long beard? Because I that I think it’s a pretty good camouflage, it may be helpful for the recovery procedure since it doesn’t really allow to see what the jaw looks like after surgery and prevents somebody from getting frustrated by the swelling appearance. Thank you in advance.

A: Thank you for your inquiry. Your suppositions about the beard as a postoperative camouflage are certainly valid. Also having a beard does not interfere with having the implant surgically placed. The only issue, and a very relevant one, is how would you or I know how to design the implant when we really don’t know how you look on the outside? What type of jawline change is visually desired? While the implant is designed on bone using a 3D CT scan, its dimensions are created by doing before computer imaging to see what type of lower facial change the patient is seeking. While having a beard for this surgery is acceptable I would advise a much closer cropped one so some preoperative guidance can be obtained about the implant design. That is how men do it for this surgery.

Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana