Can The Soft Tissue Chin Pad Be Reduced After A Sliding Genioplasty?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I had a sliding genioplasty done last year, I had some concerns when I smiled, that my chin felt like it was pulling down and thus, from a side angle, made my chin look extremely bulbous and pulled down looking. So, my surgeon suggested there may be some issue with the internal hardware and impacting healing. This year I had the internal hardware removed and my muscle stitched back up into place. Now when I smile, I do notice it is much better, however the bulbous chin appearance is still there. I’m interested in learning more about perhaps removing the soft tissue in my chin and shaving/burring down the chin bone about 3 – 4mm. The original advancement was 8mm. Please let me know thoughts or if there is an opportunity at all to correct the soft tissue concern and slight over projection (that I feel). Thank you so much in advance!

A: While a submental approach can be used to reduce the bony projection and remove/tighten the soft tissue chin pad, this will create a scar under the chin whose tradeoff must be considered very carefully in females…particularly those with intermediate skin pigments.

Dr. Barry Eppley

World-Renowned Plastic Surgeon