Chin Ptosis Repair

Q: Dr. Eppley, I am contacting to find out more info about chin ptosis correction. I am 26 years old and had a chin implant that I strongly regretted. It was removed about six months ago. I notice that my chin has not returned to its original shape and size as I had been told that it would. There seems to be excess tissue underneath my chin and I miss the taut appearance that I used to have naturally. Just curious about what is involved to correct this issue and the potential cost. My incision was made underneath the chin, not intraorally. Thanks a lot for any info.

A: Unless the chin implant was fairly small and removed shortly after insertion, rarely do the chin soft tissues return to their exact shape as before surgery. All face and body implants are, to some degree, tissue expanders and they can create some overlying soft tissue changes no matter how small they may be. The approaches to chin ptosis repair are of two fundamental types, resuspension and excision. Sagging chin tissues can be resuspended, excess chin soft tissues can be removed. Which approach is best depends on the nature of the chin problem. I would need to see some pictures of your chin to make that chin ptosis repair determination. My suspicion is that you have a very small amount of soft tissue sag at the bottom of the chin that can be easily solved with a submental tuckup procedure. As long as the lower lip position is good any soft tissue sag off the chin bone is usually best treated by a chin ptosis repair using excision.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana