Chin Implant Revision

Q: Dr. Eppley, I had my implant placed three weeks ago. It was a silicone implant large size with wings. I can barely move my bottom lip up and I can’t speak well for that reason. I have strange nerve pain that goes through the left bottom lip when i move it. The sensitive pain comes from the left side where the end of the wing is placed. If I touch it I get a nerve reaction on my lip. Moving muscles around it causes it too. Note- I am still numb on my left lip and chin. What is your advice? Attached is my before and after picture. I don’t like how projected it is and the huge crease it creates on my bottom lip.

A: While it is fairly early after your chin implant procedure, you have several concerning symptoms that speak for an early intervention with a chin implant revision. First and foremost you should have never had a chin implant for your chin augmentation. Your horizontal chin/jaw deficiency was so severe that a very large implant would have to be used that places too much stress on the chin soft tissues and the lower lip. But that issue aside you also have nerve pain which suggests the mental nerve may be impinged on by the wing of the implant.

You have three options for your chin implant revision:

Downsize the implant to a small size and better style,
Remove the implant completely, or
Remove the implant and replace with a sliding genioplasty which was the correct chin augmentation procedure from the beginning.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana