How Can I Get My Chin Back To Normal After A Chin Implant Removal?

Q: Over a year ago, I had a medium-sized chin implant placed from inside my mouth and I HATED it. Last month I finally had it removed but I don’t look the same. My chin seems to droop a bit. I am going CRAZY over this! Please tell me what I can do!

A: To understand the problem and how to fix it, you must appreciate what any implant in the body does that changes the size of an area. Like a breast implant, a chin implant pushes off of the underlying bone stretching out the overlying soft tissues. As a result, you are gaining more soft tissue which the area needs to look bigger.

This soft tissue expansion can really be appreciated when and if the implant ever comes out. Without the implant’s support, the now extra soft tissue sags creating a classic chin ptosis condition. Some refer to it as a ‘witch’s chin’ deformity. There now is too much soft tissue for the amount of bone or underlying soft tissue support. Furthermore, the mentalis muscle has been detached from the chin bone and likely was not resuspended at the time of implant removal. This muscle problem can particularly arise when chin implants are placed from inside the mouth where the superior muscular attachments are completely separated.

Correction of chin ptosis can be done by two different approaches, based on the severity of the soft tissue sag. If the laxity is mild, then an intramural approach with muscle resuspension using bone anchors works very nicely. If the soft tissue sag is more severe, then an approach from the underside of the chin known as a submental tuck-up can be done for soft tissue removal and reattachment back to the bone.

Another option would be to replace the chin implant with another one (even if it is smaller), but that doesn’t sound like an option in your case.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis Indiana