Does A Sliding Genioplasty Create A More Natural Look Than A Chin Implant?

Q:Dr. Eppley, For context, I am a healthy man in his early 30‘s who wants mild-to-moderate enhancement of the chin as well as the jaw angles in the lateral dimension. I am going for a strong but natural jaw appearance. 

Regarding sliding genioplasty, what is the rate at which additional surgery is required, either due to functional problems (e.g. issues with talking or chewing, etc.) or inadequate cosmetic goal? Also, is it true that sliding genioplasty will yield a more natural look than a chin implant? 

Regarding custom jaw angle implants, I am again curious about the success rate for the procedure. What is the rate at which they require additional surgery for any reason (e.g. needing to be taken out perhaps due to infection, revision surgery due to inadequate cosmetic goal, etc.)? 

Thanks for the time you spend answering these questions. I am planning to make use of your services in the future.

A: Thank you for your inquiry and sending your pictures to which I can say the following:

1) Your chin augmentation would be best served by a sliding genioplasty because you need a combination of both horizontal and verticial dimensional increases…not because it looks more natural than a chin implant but because that is the safest method to do so with a small and tight overlying soft tissue chin pad.

2) The sliding genioplasty has a very low complication/revision rate in my experience. I have never functional issues like talking or chewing concerns as you have mentioned.

3) As for jaw angle implants the key question is whether standard or custom implants are needed and that would depend on one’s aesthetic goals which are yet to be determined. Unlike the autologous slidiing genioplasty operation jaw angle implants have a much rate of infections/asymmetries which is in the 10% range.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana