Chin Implant Revision

Q: Dr. Eppley, I am interested in chin implant revision. I contacted you many years ago regarding a few questions about jaw implants. I never proceeded as I live in another continent and the expenses plus travel were too much for me at the time. It seems I may have to pay you a visit after all. I recently underwent a Rhinoplasty and Chin implant combo with a domestic surgeon here no less than a week ago and it went poorly.

Long story short I was told after surgery the implant I wanted wouldn’t fit my mandible and would slide up with time. Instead another implant with wings was added which not only lengthened but widened my petite face considerably. I requested only a tiny bit of anterior only projection and the results horrified me.

If you don’t mind, my questions for you are:

– Will there be any ptosis or sagging if this implant is removed within a week? I don’t know whether to trust my surgeon now.

– Have you ever had this same complication with a patient who just wanted a little anterior projection? Were you able to solve it?

Perhaps custom implants would be the solution? You seem to be the only surgeon offering this.

Overall I would love to hear your opinion.

A: I am sorry to hear of your current situation and your desire for chin implant revision. While all chin augmentation procedures cause a lot of swelling initially (which can seem horrifying) given what you wanted and the implant you got there appears to be a mismatch. With someone wanting only central chin augmentation there are chin implants that just do that exact effect. I almost always screw them into place to avoid any shifting/rotation of them since they are so small. Usually central projecting chin implants are used in women but occasionally men may only want a small chin projection change that does not increase the width of the chin. I don’t see that you have to go the route of a custom chin implant to achieve the chin change that you want. Attached is the type of chin implant you probably would do well with using the 6.5mm horizontal projection size.

It would be ideal of you could just swap out your chin implant immediately. But if not get what you have out immediately and let the tissues settle down and heal for a few months. Then place the new chin implant style and size.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana