Can The Submental Scar From My Chin Augmentation Surgery Be Improved?

Q: Hello, I had submental chin implant revision surgery and lipo under the chin. The incision was made in my natural crease and is extremely apparent. Also, it seems as though after the surgery, I have jowls that I have never had before. People think I lost a lot of weight. Is there anything that can be done to correct either situation reasonably? Thank you for your time.

A: The placement of a submental (under the chin) incision for chin augmentation is a fairly simple and straightforward consideration. Most people have a skin crease on the underside of their chin and this is a logical incision location. But depending on the location of this crease and the size of chin implant to be placed, this may not always be a good location. The chin skin stretched forward due to the push of the implant and what was once a hidden location may become more visible. For this reason, I often move the incision location slightly behind the submental skin crease to avoid any potential that it may become visible. Once the incisional scar location is set, there is no way to relocate the scar.

The development of jowls after chin augmentation may be the result of the wings or sides of the chin implant. Chin implants today are more anatomic in design and often will have long extensions that go back from the sides of the chin into the body of the jaw. If these wings get folded unto themselves and are not fully extended due to a pocket dissection that was short, the folding of the implant’s wings could create the look of jowls. If this is the problem, it can only be resolved by revisional chin implant surgery.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana