Can I Reverse My Sliding Genioplasty?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I’m a male, 34 years old. I’ll attach an image, like I said, the sliding genioplasty movement was subtle (3 mm plus the titanium plate) and I’d like to reverse it without making the front look longer vertically if possible.

A:Thank you for the surgical information. From that I gather you had a small (3mm) advancement bony genioplasty but don’t like the result as it has made your chin vertically longer. This most commonly can happen if the chin is inadvertently plated with an opening wedge. (tilted down) It is unusual to have this occur with such a small advancement but that would be the only way it could happen. This then makes the options two fold: 1) complete reversal back to where you started, or 2) change the tilt of the chin upward to eliminate the vertical lengthening. I mention the latter since there was a reason you had the surgery in the first place and this option allows the benefits (horizontal augmentation) to be maintained but the liability of the vertical lengthening eliminated. For either option it would be important to have a postoperative x-ray (e.g., simple panorex or lateral ceph) before doing a secondary procedure to fully understand where the chin bone is now and what the indwelling hardware looks like.

Dr. Barry Eppley

World-Renowned Plastic Surgeon