Chin Implant Revision

Q: D. Eppley,I am interested in a chin implant revision surgery. I had a chin implant placed through a mouth incision which has left me with a lot of issues. Will moving the chin implant to a lower and better location correct all the issues I’ve been having? Maybe even the dimpling. Don’t know if you can tell from some of the photos, but the doctor that put in the chin implant had also did a submental tuck. Will you be using the same implant or replacing with a new one? You mentioned moving it to a better location on the bone but you also mentioned that a new implant positioned lower may also be a possibility. I don’t  want my chin to look bigger. So will placing it right on the chin bone make my chin look longer?

A: Whether a new chin implant is needed or not for your chin implant revision is not absolutely clear to me right now. If you are happy with what horizontal projection it provides and are not unhappy about its width then I would say just use the one you have. When moving the existing implant it may be necessary to shorten its height so it does not create a vertically longer chin. That would be the only reason to consider a new implant to prevent that occurrence. Knowing what style and size of chin implant you currently have in place would be helpful in that regard but that is information you may not likely have. Thus that is a judgment that would have to be made on an intraoperative basis.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana