How Can My Prominent Chin And Jaw Angles Be Reduced?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I am a 21 year old guy with a big jaw and a long chin. Also my jaw line is low which gives me a long face. What’s the best and the safest thing for me to do? Should I go for a jaw line reduction surgery and a chin reduction surgery as well? Are they safe? I have attached some pictures of my jaw from different angles.

A: Thank you for sending your pictures. You do have a most unusual pattern of jaw hypertrophy that I have ever seen with excessive horizontal chin projection and jaw angle protrusion. It would be very help to see some x-rays (even a panorex would be useful) to confirm that the bulges at the jaw angles are primarily bone and not masseteric muscle hypertrophy. But let us assume that these are all bony protrusions, they could be reduced through intraoral approaches by burring reduction of the chin projection and an osteotomy/saw reduction of the lateral jaw angle protrusions. These are not only safe but the only jaw surgery options you have for their reduction. If the vertical length of the chin is felt to be too long, then a vertical reduction osteotomy could be performed by the horizontal burring reduction. But it would be important to manage the then excessive chin soft tissues that would result from the reduction of the bony support. I would performed suture suspension of the soft tissues to the reduced chin size.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis,Indiana