Double Chin after Jawline Reshaping Surgery

Q: Dr. Eppley,  I’m 9 months post operation from a zygoma reduction and jawline reshaping surgery with a surgeon in Korea. I am 23 years old, soon going on 24, and I’m finding that I’ve developed a double chin. I exercise 3 times a week, am a normal weight for my height, and this double chin was definitely not there prior to my surgeries. So I’m suspecting that the surgeries instigated this double chin, whether its excess skin/tissue or the fats from my face sliding downwards. 

From touching the area myself, I’m unsure whether what I’m feeling is fat or tissue. Could you please help me on what I should do next to eradicate this problem?

Why did this double chin slowly start to appear over time? My jawbones weren’t over-resected and my zygoma reduction wasn’t over-resected either. As I am young, I was expecting for my skin and tissues to redrape themselves over the new structure.

Is this a common occurrence from jawline reduction and cheekbone reduction? What should I do!?

A: The simple answer to your jawline reshaping surgery question is that the loss of bone support from a projecting facial structure (like the chin) can eventually result in a submental tissue sag or even chin ptosis. While such a biologic effect is more commonly seen in the cheeks, it can also occur at the chin and along the jawline. And such an effect is well chronicled in the jaw angle region.

It takes a fairly long time after facial bone surgery to see the extent of the soft tissue effects due to he slow resolution and the how well the overlying soft tissues have contracted around the reduced bone. This is why it is often not apparent for 6 to 9 months after surgery.

There are limited number of treatments for these soft tissue redundancies such as liposuction or limited soft tissue tucks. I would need to see pictures of your face to provide a more qualified recommendation.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapols, Indiana