DoI Need To Shave My Beard To Undergo Custom Jawline Implant Surgery?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I’m considering a custom jawline implant and have a few questions. I live in Montana so could the initial consultation be virtual? I also have a short to medium length beard and would really rather not shave before the surgery so would I need to shave or trim my beard for the consultation? How long would recovery time be before swelling would go down? And when would be the soonest I would be able to have this procedure done?

Thank you

A:In answer to your jawline implant questions:

1) All initial consultations are done virtual.

2) In designing a custom jawline implant it is important to do computer imaging to determine the patient’s specific goals. Having a beard that makes the jawline completely invisible makes that challenging/impossible. The other option is to use the bone (3D CT scan) and make the design based on the bone deficiency that I would need to interpret.

3) The design and fabrication process (getting the implant ready for surgery) typically takes 3 months so that provides a base timeline for surgery scheduling.

4) Recovery is largely about swelling. While its entire resolution takes months, most people look reasonable in 2 to 3 weeks after surgery.

Dr. Barty Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana